Flora of North America species comparison

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Crotalaria verrucosa

blue rattlebox, blue rattlesnake
Habit Herbs annual.
Stems

erect, 30–80 cm, puberulent, hairs sharply upcurved, branches angled, slightly zigzag.
Leaves

unifoliolate;

stipules ovate, orbiculate, or sickle-shaped, often encircling node, 7–20 mm;

blade broadly obovate, elliptic, or broadly elliptic-lanceolate, 30–70(–120) mm, length 1–1.5(–2) times width, surfaces glabrous.
Racemes

3–9(–15)-flowered, terminal, subterminal, or lateral, 3–6(–20) cm;

bracts persistent or caducous, linear-triangular.
Flowers

calyx broadly cylindrical, 2–3 mm, lobes ovate to lanceolate, glabrous or slightly puberulous;

corolla blue to lavender, often variegated with white or blue- to purple-lined, or, sometimes, white or pale yellow tinged blue (drying yellowish), 12–15 mm.
Legumes

30–40 × 9–12 mm, moderately hirsute-pilose, hairs spreading to ascending.

Crotalaria verrucosa
Phenology Flowering year-round.
Habitat Sandy wastes along beaches, thickets, hammocks.
Elevation 0–10 m. (0–0 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
FL; Asia (India) [Introduced in North America; introduced also in West Indies, Central America, South America, other regions of Asia, Indian Ocean Islands, Pacific Islands, Australia]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

D. Isely (1998) noted that he had seen only two recent specimens, both from the Miami area, but that they were probably waifs; another collection has subsequently been observed from Martin County (Reed 99184, MO).

(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. juncea, C. lanceolata, C. ochroleuca, C. pallida, C. pumila, C. purshii, C. retusa, C. rotundifolia, C. sagittalis, C. spectabilis, C. trichotoma, C. virgulata
Name authority Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 2: 715. (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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