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Crotalaria sericea

Burm.f. (1768)

This name is accepted

Kingdom: Viridiplantae Phylum: Magnoliophyta Class/Clade: Eudicot-Rosids Order: Fabales Family: Fabaceae Genus: Crotalaria

rattle pod, rattlepod

Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Subshrubs.

Stems: Stems erect or ascending, up to 20 dm long, ridged, densely short–pubescent, taproot with slender branches, nodules often present.

Roots:

Leaves: Leaves simple. Alternate. Blades elliptic to oblanceolate. 7.8–16.5 cm long, 2.4–3.6 cm wide. Apex obtuse to acute, usually mucronulate. Base cuneate. Upper surfaces glabrous and slightly punctate; lower surfaces appressed short–pubescent. Margins entire. Veins 13–16 on each side of midvein. Petioles 4–6 mm long. Stipules minute, subulate.

Flowers: Flowers in racemes, flowers 18–25 mm long, 12–22 in somewhat lax inflorescences, rachis 15–29 cm long (incl. peduncle), bracts narrowly triangular, 2.5–3.3 mm long, spreading, usually persistent. Flowers papilionaceous; bracteoles at mid–pedicel, narrowly triangular. Calyx appressed short–pubescent, the tube 4.5–7 mm long, the lobes 8–10 mm long, lateral lobes distinct at apex. Calyx slightly bilabiate, the lobes shorter than to longer than the tube. Petals yellow, standard 15–16 mm long, wings oblong, 12–13 mm long, 6–7.5 mm wide, claws 3.9–4.1 mm long, keel petals short, beak slightly twisted, margins ciliate. Stamens 10, connate into a tube, the tube split at least at base on the upper side; anthers dimorphic, alternately long (and basifixed) and short (and versatile). Elongated anthers 2.6–5 mm long, short ones 0.8–0.9 mm long. Ovary superior.

Fruit: Pods dark brown at maturity; 3.5–5 cm long; short–stipitate; glabrous. Seeds ca. 30 per pod; dark brown; up to 4 mm long; smooth.

Ploidy:

Habitat: Disturbed mesic sites.

Elevation Range: 480–560 m.

Historical Distribution

Uses and Culture

USES

  • Yes

Natural History

Statewide Status

Naturalized

Island Status

O'ahu Naturalized
Molokai Naturalized
Maui Naturalized
Hawai'i Naturalized

Dispersal Agents


Pollinators

Notes

  • 1864-1865
  • 480-560 m
  • Description digitized by McKenna Bonn-Savage
  • Description digitized from the Manual of the Flowering Plants of Hawaii
  • Native to India

Bibliography

Name Published In: Fl. Indica: 156 (1768)

Other References

Wagner et al. 1990:657 (O, H); Starr et al. 2002:20 (EM); Starr et al. 2006:35 (Mo)

Occurrences

SNo. Scientific Name Scientific Name Authorship Locality Habitat Basis of Record Recorded By Record Number Island Source Date
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