28 CIRCULAR 137, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
mm. wide, pubescent on both sides; flowers in dense racemes; calyx about 4 
mm. long; standard and keel about 5 mm. long, striate with purple lines; 
pods subsessile, 15-18 mm. long, short pubescence; seed small, 2 mm. long, 
dark brown, matures midlate. 
This species has been grown in Florida only and has not made as 
heavy a growth as many other species and probably has less value. 
Seed matured at Gainesville, Fla. 
Crotalaria verrucosa L. 
Plant semierect, divaricately and sparsely branched, 3-9 decimeters high; 
stems tending to angular, finely pubescent on young stem; stipules large, 1.5 
cm. long, foliaceous, semilunate; leaves simple, irregularly oval to ovate, 4-12 
cm. long by 2-8 cm. wide, glabrous above, finely pubescent beneath; flowers 
6-20, in lax terminal and lateral racemes; calyx campanulate, 6-7 mm. long, 
teeth twice as long as the tube, lightly pubescent; standard 14-18 mm. long, 
greenish white, streaked with pale blue within; wings yellowish white at the 
base, the rest deep blue; pod 3-38.5 cm. long and 8-10 mm. wide, nearly glabrous 
when mature, silky pubescence when young; seed 3 mm. long, yellow or yellow- 
ish brown, matures midseason. 
This species has made comparatively small growth and does not 
seem to be well suited for United States conditions. At Columbia, 
S. C., it has bloomed the last of June and ripened seed the last of 
August. In Florida it has had about the same season. 
Crotalaria sp. 60305. 
Plant erect, 6-12 decimeters high, moderately branched; stems small, terete; 
leaves trifoliolate; leaflets linear to linear oblong, 4-8 em. long, 1-2 cm. wide, 
tip acuminate to slightly rounded, mucronate, glabrous above, sparingly pubes- 
cent beneath; stipules none; flowers in long terminal racemes; calyx tube 
broadly campanulate, 3 mm. long, Mghtly pubescent; calyx teeth acuminate, 
2 mm. long; corolla 11 mm. long, yellow, standard and wings striate with 
purple lines; pods cylindrical, 2.5 cm. long, finely pubescent; seed 2.5-3 mm. 
long, light to reddish brown, matures midlate. 
This species has made a good growth in trials in Mississippi and 
Florida. It is quite leafy and appears to be a good forage type. 
It matures a good crop of seed and appears as a promising species. 
It is very closely related to Crotalaria lanceolata and may be a 
variety of that species. 
SUMMARY 
Crotalaria is a new crop in the United States, having been first 
introduced in 1909. 
While there are about 600 species, only 36 are reported in this 
study. Two of these, Crotalaria striata and C. spectabilis, are being 
used commercially in the United States, while several others show 
promise in experimental work. 
Both @. spectabilis and C. striata are upright, short-lived plants 
that must be treated as summer annuals under conditions in the 
United States. 
All of the Crotalaria species tested so far are especially adapted 
to sandy soils. 
The principal use of crotalaria is for green manure. 
General observation and very limited feeding tests indicate that 
some of the species can be used for hay, while others probably are 
poisonous. 
