Fabaceae
Crotalaria

Crotalaria rhodesiae Baker f.

First published in J. Linn. Soc., Bot. 42: 401 (1914)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Tanzania to Northern Prov. It is a perennial and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

Leguminosae, J. B. Gillett, R. M. Polhill & B. Verdcourt. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1971

Morphology General Habit
Prostrate perennial, with many well-branched radiating stems up to 6 dm. long.
Morphology Stem
Stems angular, thinly appressed puberulous.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves mostly well spaced, 3–foliolate; leaflets oblanceolate, oblanceolate-elliptic or obovate, up to 15–32 mm. long, 6–15 mm. wide, glabrous above, appressed puberulous beneath; petiole up to 5–15 mm. long.
Morphology Leaves Stipules
Stipules shortly stalked, linear to lanceolate-falcate, up to 5–8 mm. long, 1–2 mm. wide, acuminate, markedly unequal-sided.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Racemes lax, up to 7 cm. long, ± 3–8-flowered; bracts subulate or filiform, up to 3 mm. long, caducous; bracteoles inserted on the short ascending pedicel, filiform, up to 2–3 mm. long, caducous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx 8–11 (–13) mm. long, appressed puberulous; upper lobes narrowly attenuate-triangular, longer than the tube.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Standard suborbicular, yellow, often tinged reddish outside, fading orange, glabrous outside; wings broadly oblong, longer than the keel; keel abruptly rounded, tapered gradually into a very blunt straight untwisted beak, 11–13 mm. long, densely white lanate-pubescent on the lateral surfaces towards the upper margin.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Pod subsessile, cylindrical, 20–27 mm. long, 8–10 mm. across, subglabrous, sometimes with a few scattered hairs or pubescent along the upper side, 16–22-seeded.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds oblong-reniform, 3–3·5 mm. long, with a small white aril much shorter than the hilar sinus, finely granulate or smooth, bright orange or red, rarely pale yellow.
Habitat
Grassland, also persisting on roadsides; 1500–1650 m.
Distribution
T4 T7 Zambia and Rhodesia to the Transvaal
[FTEA]

International Legume Database and Information Service

Conservation
Not Threatened
Ecology
Africa: Zambezian woodland, Zambezian bushland and thicket, Zambezian grassland
Morphology General Habit
Perennial, Not climbing, Herb
[ILDIS]

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation
Predicted extinction risk: not threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

Leguminosae, various authors. Flora Zambesiaca 3:7. 2003

Morphology General Habit
Prostrate perennial, with many well branched puberulous radiating stems.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves mostly well spaced, 3-foliolate; leaflets (1)1.5–3.2 × (0.4)0.6–1.5 cm, oblanceolate, oblanceolate-elliptic or obovate, appressed puberulous beneath; petiole shorter than leaflets; stipules (3)5–10 mm long, shortly stalked, linear to lanceolate-falcate, acuminate, markedly unequal-sided.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Racemes up to 7 cm long, laxly 3–8-flowered; bracts up to 3 mm long, subulate or filiform, caducous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx 8–11(13) mm long, appressed puberulous; lobes narrowly attenuate-triangular, longer than the tube.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Standard subcircular, yellow, often reddish tinged outside, fading orange, glabrous outside; wings broadly oblong, exceeding the keel; keel 11–13 mm long, abruptly rounded in the lower half, tapered gradually into a short straight blunt beak, lanate towards upper edge.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Pod 20–27 × 8–10 mm, subsessile, cylindrical, with scattered hairs or pubescent only along upper side, 16–22-seeded.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds 3–3.5 mm long, oblong-reniform, with a small aril, finely granulate or smooth, orange, red or rarely pale yellow.
[FZ]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

  • Flora Zambesiaca

    • Flora Zambesiaca
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of Tropical East Africa

    • Flora of Tropical East Africa
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • International Legume Database and Information Service

    • International Legume Database and Information Service (ILDIS) V10.39 Nov 2011
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0