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rabbitbells

Habit Herbs perennial.
Stems

prostrate to decumbent or ascending, 10–70 cm, strigose or strigose-sericeous to hirsute-villous.

Leaves

unifoliolate;

stipules lanceolate-auriculate or triangular, with 2 distinct lobes, decurrent on mid and distal stems, 2–10 mm;

blade broadly elliptic, elliptic-ovate, ovate, broadly lanceolate, linear, linear-lanceolate, or obovate-oblanceolate, 9–50 mm, length 1–2.5(–12) times width, surfaces strigose to strigose-hirsute.

Racemes

(1 or)2–5-flowered, terminal, subterminal, or lateral, 4–20 cm;

bracts persistent, linear-subulate to lanceolate.

Flowers

calyx broadly cylindrical, 5–9 mm, lobes triangular-lanceolate, glabrous or slightly puberulous;

corolla bright yellow, banner sometimes red-lined, 7–13 mm.

Legumes

12–28 × 7–12 mm, glabrous.

Crotalaria rotundifolia

Distribution
from USDA
se United States; Mexico; Central America
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).

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

Key
1. Leaves usually spreading, blades broadly elliptic to elliptic-ovate, ovate, or broadly lanceolate, 9–20 × 10–15 mm, lengths mostly 1–2.5 times widths.
var. rotundifolia
1. Leaves usually ascending-erect, blades linear to linear-lanceolate, or obovate-oblanceolate on proximal 1/3 of stems, linear distally, 10–50 × 1–4 mm, lengths 5–12 times widths.
var. linaria
Source FNA vol. 11.
Parent taxa Fabaceae > subfam. Faboideae > Crotalaria
Sibling taxa
C. avonensis, C. incana, C. juncea, C. lanceolata, C. ochroleuca, C. pallida, C. pumila, C. purshii, C. retusa, C. sagittalis, C. spectabilis, C. trichotoma, C. verrucosa, C. virgulata
Subordinate taxa
C. rotundifolia var. linaria, C. rotundifolia var. rotundifolia
Name authority J. F. Gmelin: Syst. Nat. 2: 1095. (1792)
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