Crotalaria vatkeana Engl.

First published in Abh. Königl. Akad. Wiss. Berlin 1891(2): 245 (1892)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Ethiopia to N. Tanzania. It is an annual and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

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

Morphology General Habit
Straggling and ascending annual, sometimes with procumbent lower branches, up to 3–15 dm. tall, generally well branched.
Morphology Stem
Stem thinly covered with appressed hairs, though more densely on youngest parts.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves 3-foliolate; leaflets variable, linear-lanceolate or lanceolate to elliptic or obovate-elliptic, up to 20–70 mm. long, 4–22 mm. wide, glabrous to shortly appressed pubescent above, appressed pubescent beneath; petiole ± 10–20 mm. long.
Morphology Leaves Stipules
Stipules subulate or filiform, 1–3 mm. long, ± recurved, somewhat persistent.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Racemes long-pedunculate, up to 13–17 cm. long, with many rather crowded flowers towards the top; bracts linear-caudate, 3–6 mm. long; bracteoles inserted at the base of the calyx, filiform, 3–6·5 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx becoming basally truncate and deflexed against the pedicel, 4–4·5 mm. long, subglabrous to appressed pubescent; lobes narrowly triangular, slightly acuminate, ± as long as the tube or shorter.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Standard obovate-oblong, yellow, veined purple and glabrous outside; wings shorter than the keel; keel shortly rounded about the middle, with a practically straight rather projecting untwisted beak, 8–10 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Pod subsessile, cylindrical, up to (22–)25–27 mm. long, 5–6 mm. across, shortly and rather thinly pubescent, ± 30-seeded.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds oblique-cordiform, ± 2 mm. long, minutely papillose, terracotta.
Habitat
Margins and clearings of upland rain-forest, upland evergreen bushland and grassland, also persisting on roadsides and cultivated ground; 1300–3000 m.
Distribution
K2 K3 K4 K5 K6 T2
[FTEA]

International Legume Database and Information Service

Conservation
Not Threatened
Ecology
Africa: Afromontane grassland, Afromontane(upland) bushland and thicket.
Morphology General Habit
Annual, Not climbing, Herb
[ILDIS]

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: not threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

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