Crotalaria spectabilis |
Crotalaria trichotoma |
|
---|---|---|
rattlebox, showy crotalaria, showy rattlebox |
curara pea, West Indian rattlebox |
|
Habit | Herbs annual. | Herbs annual or short-lived perennial. |
Stems | suffrutescent basally, erect, 50–150 cm, glabrous. |
suffrutescent basally, erect, 75–250 cm, strigose to strigillose, hairs tightly appressed. |
Leaves | 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. |
3-foliolate; stipules absent; leaflet blades elliptic to elliptic-lanceolate or elliptic-oblanceolate, 40–100(–140) mm, length 3–4.5 times width, surfaces strigose abaxially, glabrous adaxially. |
Racemes | 12–22-flowered, terminal, subterminal, or lateral, 10–50 cm; bracts persistent, cordate-auriculate, 5–8 mm. |
10–50-flowered, terminal, subterminal, or lateral, 10–40 cm; bracts persistent, linear-subulate. |
Flowers | calyx broadly cylindrical, 10–15 mm, lobes triangular-lanceolate, glabrous; corolla bright yellow, faintly red-lined, 17–25 mm. |
calyx broadly cylindrical, basally truncate and deflexed against pedicel, 4–6 mm (length less than width), lobes triangular-lanceolate, glabrous or sparsely strigillose; corolla yellow with prominent reddish lines, each wing with a purple spot at base, 12–15 mm. |
Legumes | 30–45 × 10–20 mm, glabrous. |
30–45 × 7–12 mm, sparsely to densely strigose to strigose-sericeous. |
2n | = 16. |
|
Crotalaria spectabilis |
Crotalaria trichotoma |
|
Phenology | Flowering (Jan–)Aug–Oct (year-round). | Flowering probably year-round. |
Habitat | Grassy or fallow fields, roadsides, ditches, borrow pits, lake edges, disturbed areas. | Roadsides. |
Elevation | 10–200 m. (0–700 ft.) | 0–10 m. (0–0 ft.) |
Distribution |
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]
|
FL; Africa [Introduced in North America; introduced also in Central America (Nicaragua), South America (Argentina, Peru), Asia (China, Java, Sri Lanka, Sumatra), Indian Ocean Islands, Pacific Islands, Australia] |
Discussion | In Texas, Crotalaria spectabilis is known from Brazos, Cameron, Karnes, and Liberty counties. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
In the flora area, Crotalaria trichotoma has been found only in Miami-Dade County. R. M. Polhill (1982) stated that Crotalaria trichotoma does not belong in the genus Crotalaria, without stating its placement elsewhere. In contrast, D. Isely (1998) observed that C. trichotoma resembles the common C. pallida in flower but that the latter has wider leaflets and caducous bracts; the similarity of C. trichotoma to many other crotalarias is confirmed here. (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 | ||
Synonyms | C. retzii | C. usaramoensis, C. zanzibarica |
Name authority | Roth: Nov. Pl. Sp., 341. (1821) | Bojer: Ann. Sci. Nat., Bot., sér. 2, 4: 265. (1835) |
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