Crotalaria valida Baker

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

Morphology General Habit

Very similar to C.lachnocarpoides, but easily distinguished by the keel which is covered by a dense silky indumentum apart from the upper margin and the short beak, it is also more commonly suffrutescent, its uppermost leaves often 1-foliolate, the leaflets pointed to rounded at the apex and sometimes not densely hairy above, the racemes 4–20-flowered and the keel 1.4–1.8 cm long.

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

Morphology General Habit

Perennial with a woody rootstock and several erect unbranched stems or, under favourable conditions, a bushy herb, up to 1·3 m. tall, much branched above.

Morphology Stem

Stems terete or finely ribbed above, tomentose with fine mostly rather spreading hairs.

Morphology Leaves

Leaves rather shortly petiolate, mostly 3-foliolate, with the uppermost usually 1-foliolate; leaflets oblanceolate-oblong to oblong-elliptic, up to 62–85 mm. long, 23–30 mm. wide, with the lower ones often broader and shorter, glabrous to tomentose above, appressed pubescent or tomentose beneath, with the median and lateral veins prominent beneath; petiole up to 5–17 mm. long.

Morphology Leaves Stipules

Stipules filiform, up to 5 mm. long, sometimes small and evanescent.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Racemes shortly pedunculate, up to 10–17 cm. long, with 3–20 laxly or closely arranged flowers; bracts linear-subulate, up to 10 mm. long, persistent; bracteoles inserted on the upper part of the pedicel, filiform, up to 3·5–5 mm. long.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Calyx 14–18 mm. long, velvety or silky tomentose; lobes narrowly triangular, 2–3 times as long as the tube.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Standard suborbicular, bright deep yellow, uniformly silky pubescent outside; wings as long as the keel; keel semiorbicular, with a short blunt slightly incurved untwisted beak, 16–18 mm. long, with the lateral surfaces uniformly silky pilose except along the upper edge and on the beak.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Pod subsessile, shortly and broadly cylindrical, up to 25 mm. long, 15 mm. across, long spreading tomentose, ± 10–22-seeded.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds obliquely oblong-cordiform, ± 4 mm. long, with a very small aril, smooth, ochre.

Habitat

Brachystegia woodland and upland grassland; 900–2400 m.

Distribution

T5 T7 T8

International Legume Database and Information Service

Conservation

Not Threatened

Ecology

Africa: Afromontane grassland, Zambezian woodland

Morphology General Habit

Perennial, Not climbing, Herb/Shrub