Fabaceae
Crotalaria

Crotalaria adamsonii Baker f.

First published in J. Linn. Soc., Bot. 42: 261 (1914)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is SE. Tanzania to S. Tropical Africa. It is a subshrub and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

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

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Standard subcircular, pale yellow, veined reddish-purple and apically pubescent outside; wings ± as long as the keel; keel 8–12(14) mm long, rounded, with a short slightly incurved beak.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Pod 3.4–4 cm long, subsessile, fusiform-cylindrical, appressed pubescent, many-seeded.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds 2–2.5 mm long, obliquely cordiform, rugulose.
Morphology General Habit
Suffrutex with small woody rootstock and several laxly branched and ascending 4-angled sparsely appressed puberulous stems, up to 50 cm tall.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves subsessile, simple; blade 3.5–8 × 0.7–2(2.6) cm, lanceolate, oblong-lanceolate or elliptic, acute, apiculate, rounded to subcordate at the base, sparsely appressed puberulous beneath; stipules 1.5–4 mm long, filiform to subulate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Racemes mostly terminal, laxly few-flowered; bracts 2–4 mm long, linear-subulate; bracteoles at top of the pedicel, 2–4 mm long, subulate to linear-lanceolate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx 8–11(14) mm long, shortly appressed pubescent; lobes narrowly triangular-lanceolate, 2–3 times as long as the tube.
[FZ]

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

Morphology General Habit
Perennial, with a small woody rootstock and several laxly branched ascending stems, up to 5 dm. tall.
Morphology Stem
Stems 4-angled, sparsely puberulous with small adpressed hairs, sometimes purplish tinged.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves subsessile, simple; blade lanceolate, oblong-lanceolate or elliptic, up to 35–78 mm. long, 7–20 (–26) mm. wide, acute, glabrous above, sparsely appressed puberulous beneath; petiole up to l(–2) mm. long.
Morphology Leaves Stipules
Stipules filiform, 1·5–3 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Racemes terminal or leaf-opposed, lax, ± 7–13 cm. long, with up to 8 flowers; bracts filiform, 2–3 mm. long; bracteoles inserted on the receptacle, subulate to linear-lanceolate, 2–4 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx 8–11(–14) mm. long, shortly appressed pubescent; lobes narrow, 2–3 times as long as the tube.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Standard suborbicular, pale yellow, veined reddish-purple and apically pubescent outside; wings ± as long as the keel, greenish yellow; keel strongly rounded about the middle, with a short incurved sometimes slightly circumflexed beak, 8–12(–14) mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Pod subsessile, fusiform-cylindrical, ± 34–40 mm. long, 5–7 mm. across, appressed pubescent, many-seeded.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Mature seeds unknown.
Habitat
Brachystegia woodland; 900–1000 m.
Distribution
T8
[FTEA]

International Legume Database and Information Service

Conservation
Not Threatened
Ecology
Africa: Zambezian woodland, 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]

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