58 FABACEAE Crotalaria 
CROTALARIA L. 
Erect annual or perennial shrubs or herbs. Tomentum of simple hairs. Stipules present. Leaves simple or 1- 
5-foliolate; stipels absent. Inflorescence usually terminal and racemose; bracts usually persistent; bracteoles 
usually persistent, often filiform and minute. Calyx sometimes 2-lipped, the 2 upper lobes sometimes almost 
entirely united. Flowers yellow, rarely blue; standard usually auriculate, glabrous or hairy on veins towards 
the apex or on the claw; wings lamellate; keel often slightly twisted, free margins often fringed with crisped 
hairs. Stamens 10, united in a sheath open along the upper side; anthers dimorphic, alternately long and 
basifixed, and short and versatile. Ovules 2-numerous; upper half of style with a fringe of hairs on the inner 
side; stigma terminal. Pod usually + oblong, inflated, dehiscent. Seeds 1-numerous, smooth, shiny, asymmetric, 
triangular or cordiform to reniform, flattened; hilum small; usually ecarunculate; funicle filiform, persisting 
on the valves. Rattlepods 
A genus of c. 550 species widespread in the tropics and subtropics, but most numerous in Africa. Forty three 
species occur in Australia of which 15 are introduced. Twenty one species occur in the NT, with 11 in the DR. 
Eight species are known to be of varying toxicity to livestock (Everist, 1979), with Crotalaria novae-hollandiae, 
C. medicaginea, C. pallida and C. retusa occurring in the DR. [Lee, 1978; Polhill, 1982] 
lea Leavesisimple orl =foliolatesirscrstcrccccettitistsrsissesestssescsosersmnarpieceetst sistevtersestestsessteresscesaatery 2 
[in Weavests-toliolate. ofg)-foliolatessesnsssirrerecsestesarerstercorttsrtrcearterseeserctestrcerrarirtcrsrtstsrateretesrse 8 
2. Stipules decurrent with the stems to fOrm a WIN ..........essesesececeseseeeeseseseseseetenesesssesesseeesees C. alata 
2. Stipules free, usually narrow (rarely foliaceous) 3 
3. Stems quadrangular; stipules foliaceous; flowers DIUE .........ceseceseseeseseeseseeeeseseseseseseesesess C. verrucosa 
ay Stems terete (+ striate); stipules narrow; flowers yellow 4 
450 \Leatletrachis:>5;mmilongrarticulated trrcirsssteescsesecsccasceasscatereversctesnsssaseseatevecestiotecserasestee C. noyae-hollandiae 
4. Leaflet rachis <5 mm long, not articulated .........essssessseeceseeeseeteneseseeeeteseneseseseeneneseseatees 5 
5. Calyx >15 mm long, enclosing flower and fruit ..........:cccsesesssseessseseeeseeesessesessesesecerssesens C. calycina 
5. Calyx <15 mm long, flower and pod exserted ..........ssscsssssssssssesessessesescsssserseneessseesseescenens 6 
6. Pod >20 mm long; leaves (6)9-34 mm wide C. retusa 
6. Pod <20 mm long; leaves 2-7(11) mm wide 7 
7. Plants perennial; flowers few, amongst outer foliage; leaves 5-22 mm long... C. brevis 
Tk. Plants annual; flowers numerous, on conspicuous racemes; 
Jeavestl S-SOlmmilong mersnccsertritecsrertttsestectraessereecetessatesearzscsterestirt sitesi tiatesteseretsiseestser sty? C. montana 
8 Mmmm Leaves: dipitatelyao-foliolatcamrresrecteersessssettteeeecsisesssertisiresestststrererireesecrstertereterttrrereertertettes C. quinquefolia 
6 aus LCCAVESES LOL late uementemmeersrtesestersceesesesectsteres etereceteeet? 
9. Leaflets linear 
9. Leaflets broad 
10. Seeds orange-red; stipules foliaceous 
10. Seeds pale yellow; stipules narrow 
C. alata Buch.-Ham. ex D.Don 
An erect annual shrub to 0.5 m tall. Pilose 
throughout with white to ferruginous simple hairs, 
sometimes with slightly thickened bases. Stipules 
persistent, foliaceous, expanded and broadly or 
narrowly decurrent with tlie stem for all or part of the 
internode, the decurrent wings cuneate below and 
abruptly expanded at apex into 2 linear or triangular 
Derteerrrernrserttt ty teseettceesenrttsrerresrestetttees 9 
C. medicaginea 
10 
C. goreensis 
C. pallida 
lobes to 20 mm long. Leaves simple, slightly 
discolorous, oblong, linear-oblong, narrowly elliptic 
or oblanceolate, 12-49 mm long, 1.5-16 mm wide, 
L/W 2-9, base rounded or cuneate, margins recurved, 
apex obtuse to rounded. Jnflorescence 1-3 flowered 
axillary, to 80 mm long; bracts elliptic, 1.5-3 mm long. 
Calyx 7-9 mm long; tube 1-2 mm long; lobes subulate. 
Standard 5-9 mm long. Pod on a stipe c. 4 mm long, 
