Crotalaria rhizoclada Polhill

First published in Kew Bull. 22: 317 (1968)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is S. Kenya to N. Tanzania. It is a perennial or subshrub and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation
Predicted extinction risk: threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

International Legume Database and Information Service

Conservation
Not Threatened
Ecology
Africa: Somalia-Masai bushland and thicket, Afromontane grassland
Morphology General Habit
Perennial, Not climbing, Herb
[ILDIS]

Leguminosae, J. B. Gillett, R. M. Polhill & B. Verdcourt. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1971

Morphology General Habit
Perennial with mostly decumbent or prostrate radiating stems up to 4 dm. long, well branched and with new shoots arising underground from adventitious buds on the root-like stock.
Morphology Stem
Stems rather densely appressed puberu-lous, with short rigid white hairs, ultimately glabrescent.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves 3-foliolate; leaflets linear-oblanceolate to oblanceolate or occasionally obovate, ± 5–13 (–20) mm. long, 1·5–6 mm. wide, glabrous above, appressed puberulous beneath; petiole ± 3–7 mm. long.
Morphology Leaves Stipules
Stipules filiform, up to 1 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Racemes relatively long-pedunculate, up to 2–5(–9) cm. long, usually with few laxly arranged flowers towards the top or practically subumbelliform; bracts linear-lanceolate, up to 1·5(–2·5) mm. long; bracteoles inserted on the pedicel, very small.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx 3·5–5 mm. long, with the tube protracted on the lower side, appressed puberulous; upper lobes triangular, longer than the tube.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Standard obovate-orbicular, yellow, veined purplish and puberulous along the midvein outside; wings almost as long as the keel; keel bent at right-angles in the lower half, with a narrow twisted beak, 7–9 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Pod oblong-clavate, narrowed basally to the very short stipe, ± 8–14(–24) mm. long, 3–5 mm. across, rather densely appressed puberulous, ± 10–16-seeded.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds oblique-cordiform, ± 1·5 mm. long, rugulose, brown.
Figures
Fig. 132, p. 963.
Habitat
Upland grassland, rarely extending into deciduous bushland, often on volcanic soils, also persisting on roadsides and cultivated ground; 1200–2500 m.
Distribution
K3 K4 K6 T1 T2 not known elsewhere
[FTEA]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

  • Flora of Tropical East Africa

    • Flora of Tropical East Africa
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • International Legume Database and Information Service

    • International Legume Database and Information Service (ILDIS) V10.39 Nov 2011
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • World Checklist of Vascular plants (WCVP)

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0