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avon park rattlebox

rattlebox, showy crotalaria, showy rattlebox

Habit Herbs perennial. Herbs annual.
Stems

erect to slightly spreading, 2–10 cm, strigose to sericeous.

suffrutescent basally, erect, 50–150 cm, glabrous.

Leaves

unifoliolate;

stipules absent;

blade oblong, elliptic to ovate, or suborbiculate, (5–)8–19 mm, length 1.3–3.5 times width, surfaces loosely strigose-sericeous.

unifoliolate;

stipules ovate to ovate-lanceolate, not decurrent on stem, 4–7 mm;

blade obovate to elliptic, 50–150 mm, length 1.5–2.5 times width, surfaces glaucous, strigose abaxially, glabrous-punctate adaxially.

Racemes

(1 or)2–8-flowered, terminal, subterminal, or lateral, 2–6 cm;

bracts persistent, linear-triangular.

12–22-flowered, terminal, subterminal, or lateral, 10–50 cm;

bracts persistent, cordate-auriculate, 5–8 mm.

Flowers

calyx cylindrical, 7–8 mm, lobes triangular-lanceolate, loosely strigose;

corolla bright yellow, 8–9 mm.

calyx broadly cylindrical, 10–15 mm, lobes triangular-lanceolate, glabrous;

corolla bright yellow, faintly red-lined, 17–25 mm.

Legumes

14–25 × 6–8 mm, glabrous or sparsely strigose on abaxial suture.

30–45 × 10–20 mm, glabrous.

2n

= 16.

Crotalaria avonensis

Crotalaria spectabilis

Phenology Flowering Mar–Jun. Flowering (Jan–)Aug–Oct (year-round).
Habitat White sands, scrub dominated by Florida rosemary, oaks, and/or sand pine, disturbed areas along roads and trails. Grassy or fallow fields, roadsides, ditches, borrow pits, lake edges, disturbed areas.
Elevation 30–50 m. (100–200 ft.) 10–200 m. (0–700 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
FL
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AL; AR; FL; GA; IL; LA; MD; MO; MS; NC; SC; TN; TX; VA; Asia [Introduced in North America; introduced also in Mexico, West Indies, Central America, South America, Indian Ocean Islands (Reúnion), Pacific Islands]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Crotalaria avonensis is known only from northern Highlands and southern Polk counties on the Lake Wales Ridge; it is in the Center for Plant Conservation’s National Collection of Endangered Plants.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

In Texas, Crotalaria spectabilis is known from Brazos, Cameron, Karnes, and Liberty counties.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 11. FNA vol. 11.
Parent taxa Fabaceae > subfam. Faboideae > Crotalaria Fabaceae > subfam. Faboideae > Crotalaria
Sibling taxa
C. incana, C. juncea, C. lanceolata, C. ochroleuca, C. pallida, C. pumila, C. purshii, C. retusa, C. rotundifolia, C. sagittalis, C. spectabilis, C. trichotoma, C. verrucosa, C. virgulata
C. avonensis, C. incana, C. juncea, C. lanceolata, C. ochroleuca, C. pallida, C. pumila, C. purshii, C. retusa, C. rotundifolia, C. sagittalis, C. trichotoma, C. verrucosa, C. virgulata
Synonyms C. retzii
Name authority DeLaney & Wunderlin: Sida 13: 315, figs. 1–5. (1989) Roth: Nov. Pl. Sp., 341. (1821)
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