Flora of North America species comparison

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Crotalaria juncea

sunn hemp
Habit Herbs annual.
Stems

erect, 100–200(–400) cm, densely, loosely strigose, hairs appressed-ascending, yellowish to golden brown.
Leaves

unifoliolate;

stipules filiform, not decurrent on stem, 1–2 mm;

blade linear-elliptic to oblong, 50–150 mm, length 2.5–4 times width, surfaces strigose, more densely so abaxially.
Racemes

6–20-flowered, terminal, subterminal, or axillary, open, 10–50 cm;

bracts persistent, narrowly ovate-lanceolate, 3–5 mm.
Flowers

calyx broadly cylindrical, 1.5–2 mm, lobes triangular-lanceolate, glabrous or slightly puberulous;

corolla deep, bright yellow, sometimes with faint reddish lines, 15–22 mm.
Legumes

25–45 × 12–17 mm, densely hirsute-pilose, hairs yellow-brown.

Crotalaria juncea
Phenology Flowering Apr–Sep.
Habitat Disturbed sites.
Elevation 0–20 m. (0–100 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; FL; GA; Asia (India, Pakistan) [Introduced also in South America (Brazil, Colombia), Europe (Russia), Africa, Indian Ocean Islands (including Madagascar), Pacific Islands (Hawaii, Philippines), Australia]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

The antiquity of the cultivation of Crotalaria juncea makes nativity difficult to interpret, but the species is now widely cultivated throughout India and Pakistan as well as other parts of the world, including Australia and Russia. The strong bast fiber of the bark has long been used in twine, rug yarn, cordage, cigarette and tissue papers, fish nets, sacking, and canvas. Plants of C. juncea are extremely fast-growing and are widely used throughout the tropics as so-called green manure to add nutrients and organic matter to the soil.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 11.
Parent taxa Fabaceae > subfam. Faboideae > Crotalaria
Sibling taxa
C. avonensis, C. incana, C. lanceolata, C. ochroleuca, C. pallida, C. pumila, C. purshii, C. retusa, C. rotundifolia, C. sagittalis, C. spectabilis, C. trichotoma, C. verrucosa, C. virgulata
Name authority Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 2: 714. (1753)
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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