Flora of North America species comparison

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Crotalaria pallida

Crotalaria sagittalis

salts rattlebox, smooth crotalaria, smooth rattlebox, striped crotalaria

arrow crotalaria, arrow-head rattlebox, common rattlebox
Habit Herbs annual.
Stems

erect to decumbent, 4–40 cm, hirsute-pilose.
Leaves

unifoliolate;

stipules sometimes absent, decurrent on mid and distal stems, lanceolate-auriculate or triangular, with 2 distinct, persistent, triangular distal lobes, (3–)5–10 mm or absent (in var. blumeriana);

subsessile;

blade elliptic to oblong or linear-lanceolate, 10–80 mm, length 4–8 times width, surfaces strigose to sparsely rusty-pilose.
Racemes

(1 or)2–5-flowered, terminal, subterminal, or lateral, 2–6 cm;

bracts persistent, linear-triangular.
Flowers

calyx broadly cylindrical, 5–8 mm, lobes triangular-lanceolate, glabrous or slightly puberulous to rusty-pilose;

corolla bright yellow, 9–11 mm.
Legumes

7–27(–36) × 5–11 mm, glabrous.

Crotalaria pallida

Crotalaria sagittalis
Distribution
from USDA
Africa [Introduced in North America]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from USDA
United States; Mexico; Central America; West Indies
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Varieties 2 (1 in the flora).

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

Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Key
1. Stems 10–40 cm, erect; stipules prominent; legumes 10–27(–36) mm.
var. sagittalis
1. Stems 4–10 cm, erect to decumbent; stipules reduced or absent; legumes 7–15 mm.
var. blumeriana
Source FNA vol. 11. FNA vol. 11.
Parent taxa Fabaceae > subfam. Faboideae > Crotalaria Fabaceae > subfam. Faboideae > Crotalaria
Sibling taxa
C. avonensis, C. incana, C. juncea, C. lanceolata, C. ochroleuca, 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. spectabilis, C. trichotoma, C. verrucosa, C. virgulata
Subordinate taxa
C. pallida var. obovata
C. sagittalis var. blumeriana, C. sagittalis var. sagittalis
Name authority Aiton: Hort. Kew. 3: 20. (1789) 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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