Global description
Crotalaria goreensis is an erect plant, sub-woody at the base and covered with a pubescence more or less applied. It bears alternate leaves and trifoliate, with petioles as long as the leaflets. These are oblanceolate in shape. The petiole base is framed by two foliaceous sickle shape stipules. The flowers are arranged in short terminal racemes. They are yellow and red. The fruit is a pubescent short cylindrical pod, ending with a short curved beak. It contains smooth, shiny orange-red seeds.
Cotyledons
Cotyledons are kidney-shape. They are 10 mm long and 4 mm wide. They are subsessile.
First leaves
The first leaves are alternate and compound, trifoliate. They are held by a petiole as long as the leaflets. They are obovate to oblanceolate in shape. The apex is emarginate and mucronate. The upper face of the blade is marked with 5 to 7 pairs of slightly arcuate ribs. The petiole base is framed by two foliaceous sickle shape stipules.
General habit
The plant is erect, bushy, subwoody at the base and can measure 40 to150 cm high.
Underground system
The plant has a strong woody taproot.
Stem
The stem is cylindrical and solid. It is covered with applied hairs.
Leaf
The leaves are alternate and compound, trifoliate. They are held by a petiole as long as the leaflets (2 to 6 cm). At the base of the petiole, there are two very developed foliaceous stipules. They are sickle and almost surround the stem. They measure 10 to 20 mm long and 2 to 4 mm wide. Each leaflet is carried by a short petiolule. The lamina is obovate to oblanceolate shape. It measures 2 to 6 cm long and 7 to 25 mm wide. The base is acute and the top is rounded or slightly notched and provided with a short mucro. The terminal leaflet is slightly more developed than the lateral leaflets. The margin is entire. The upper surface is almost smooth while the underside is covered with a short sparse applied pubescence. The leaf blade is traversed by 7 to 10 pairs of slightly arched secondary veins.
Inflorescence
The inflorescence is arranged in short terminal clusters of 2 to 8 cm.
Flower
The papilionaceous flowers are held by a short pedicel of 1 to 2 mm. The calyx is fused at the base and is divided into five triangular tines. It is 1 to 2 mm long and finely pubescent. The corolla consist of a upper bilobed petal, very rounded (standard), reddish brown on the upper side, 2 lateral petals (wings) and a lower petal (keel) enclosing the stamens, yellow in colour. The corolla is long and wide of 9 mm to 11 mm. The filaments of the 10 stamens are fused at the base in a tube.
Fruit
The fruits are cylindrical pods, 12 to 13 mm long and 6 to 8 mm wide. The tip ends with a curved beak corresponding to the base of the style. The wall is finely hairy. The pod contains 6 to 8 seeds.
Seed
The seeds are flattened and bent over themselves. They are 2 mm long and 1.5 mm wide. The seed coat is smooth and bright, orange-red in colour.