PLATE 532. 



CROTALAKIA STRIATA, D.C. (Fl. Cap. Vol. 2, p. 44.) 

 Natural Order LEGUMINOS^E. 



An erect branching shrub, bearing long terminal racemes of yellow flowers. 

 Stems and branches terete or striate-sulcate in upper portion, very thinly and 

 minutely white-silky in younger portions. Leaves alternate, exstipulate, tri- 

 foliolate; petiole 2-3-inches long, swollen at base, very minutely silky; leaflets 

 elliptic or oblong, quite entire, minutely mucronulate, green and glabrous above, 

 pale and silky puberulent beneath, reaching to 4 inches in length and 2 inches 

 in breadth, their stalks 2-3-lines long, swollen. Inflorescence racemose, the racemes 

 terminal on stems and branches, 6 to 9 inches long, bearing flowers on the upper 

 two-thirds of their length, 50-80-flowered, many of the upper flowers not reaching 

 maturity or bearing legumes. Calyx gamosepalous, tube sub-cylindrical, much 

 compressed, limb 5-fid, upper lip 2- fid, lower 3-fid, teeth acuminate a little longer 

 than the tube, the whole calyx silky puberulous, 4 lines long. Corolla papilionaceous; 

 vexillum erect, 5-lines long, 4-lines wide ; carina strongly curved, as long as 

 vexillum; alas oblong a little shorter than vexillura. Stamens 10, monadelphous, 

 unequal, 5 long, 5 short, completely enclosed in the carina, the anther of the long 

 ones linear 1^ line long, of the short ones, subglobose, J line long. Ovary 

 pubescent; style strongly curved, stigma obtuse. Legume inflated, pendulous, 

 a little compressed, channelled on the upper suture, 1^-2-inches long, 30-40- 

 seeded. 



Habitat: NATAL: Eewitson : Sanderson; Umzinyati Falls, March, Wood 9 1 3 ; 

 near Greyville, March, Wood 11671. 



This plant is not very common in Natal, but it occurs throughout the tropics 

 of both hemispheres, and it has of late years been extensively used in other 

 countries for " green soiling," that is enriching partially exhausted soils by the 

 bacterial nodules produced on the roots, and for ploughing into the ground at or 

 near to maturity ; for these purposes it is thought to be one of the most suitable 

 plants known. The species was first collected by the writer in March, 1880, and 

 not again seen until March, 1910. In the Flora of British India the flowers are 

 said to be " yellow striped with red," the Flora Capensis says : " flowers yellow- 

 streaked with purple," and the Flora of Tropical Africa says : " Corolla bright 

 yellow," the colour of the flowers of this species would therefore seem to be 

 variable. 



Fig. 1, branch; 2, calyx; 3, vexillum; 4, ala; 5, carina; 6, stamens; 7, 

 pistil ; 8, legume ; figs. 1 and 8 natural size, remainder enlarged. 



