Crotalaria steudneri Schweinf.

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

Morphology General Habit

Ascending and spreading annual, much branched from the base, with the lower branches mostly long and decumbent, sometimes up to 6·5(–10) dm. tall, but usually much less.

Morphology Stem

Stem generally rather thinly covered with rather long hispid spreading hairs.

Morphology Leaves

Leaves 3-foliolate; leaflets linear-lanceolate to lanceolate or oblanceolate, with the lower ones sometimes elliptic or obovate, up to 20–70 mm. long and 8–17 mm. wide, glabrous above, sparsely appressed pilose beneath; petiole up to 6–15 mm. long.

Morphology Leaves Stipules

Stipules subulate to linear-caudate, or rarely linear-lanceolate, 3–9 mm. long.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Racemes terminal and leaf-opposed, long-pedunculate, up to 8–16 cm. long, with few to many laxly arranged flowers; bracts subulate, 1–2 mm. long; bracteoles inserted at the base of the calyx, less than 1 mm. long.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Calyx 3–4(–4·5) mm. long, appressed pubescent or subglabrous; lobes acuminately triangular, slightly longer than the tube.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Standard sub-orbicular, yellow, with reddish-brown veins and glabrous outside; wings shorter than the keel or ± as long; keel rounded below the middle, with a short straight or incurved untwisted beak, 5–7(–9) mm. long.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Pod sessile, subglobose-ellipsoid to broadly ellipsoid or rarely oblong-ellipsoid, 10–13 (–17) mm. long, ± 8 mm. across, usually mottled brown, spreading puberulous, ± 20–24-seeded.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds oblique-cordiform, 2·5–3 mm. long, often slightly rugulose, reddish-brown.

Habitat

Deciduous bushland, grassland and sometimes in seasonally inundated places, also persisting on roadsides and waste places, on sandy and clay soils; 780–1500 m.

Distribution

T1 T2 T3 T4 T5 T7 Rhodesia to the Transvaal, South West Africa

International Legume Database and Information Service

Conservation

Not Threatened

Morphology General Habit

Annual, Not climbing, Herb

Leguminosae, various authors. Flora Zambesiaca 3:7. 2003

Morphology General Habit

Ascending and spreading annual, much branched from the base, with the lower branches mostly long and decumbent, sometimes to 65(100) cm tall, usually much smaller; branches hispid, often thinly, with rather long spreading hairs.

Morphology Leaves

Leaves 3-foliolate; leaflets mostly 1.5–7 × 0.4–1.7 cm, linear-lanceolate to lanceolate or oblanceolate, with the lower ones sometimes elliptic or obovate, thinly appressed pilose beneath; petiole shorter than the leaflets; stipules 3–9 mm long, subulate to linear-lanceolate, caudate.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Racemes up to 8–16(25) cm long, long and slenderly pedunculate, laxly few–many-flowered; bracts 1–2 mm long, subulate; bracteoles usually at the base of the calyx, less than 1 mm long.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Calyx 3–4(4.5) mm long, subglabrous to appressed pubescent; lobes acuminately triangular, longer than the tube.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Standard subcircular, yellow, reddish-brown veined outside; wings shorter than the keel to ± as long; keel 5–7(9) mm long, rounded below the middle, with a short straight or less commonly incurved beak.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Pod sessile, 10–13(17) × (6)7–8 mm, subglobose-ellipsoid to broadly ellipsoid or rarely oblong-ellipsoid, often mottled brown, pubescent, 20–24-seeded.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds 2.5–3 mm long, oblique-cordiform, often slightly rugulose, reddish-brown.