Crotalaria

	Email		Print
	Bookmark		Link

Crotalaria

Desert Senna (Senna covesii) is also sometimes called "rattlepod".

Crotalaria is a genus of herbaceous plants and woody shrub
Shrub

A shrub or bush is a horticulture rather than strictly Botany category of woody plant, distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and lower height, usually less than 5-6 m tall....
s in the Family Fabaceae
Fabaceae

Fabaceae or Leguminosae is a large and economically important family of flowering plants, which is commonly known as the legume family, pea family, bean family or pulse family....
(Subfamily Faboideae
Faboideae

Faboideae is a subfamily of the flowering plant family Fabaceae or Leguminosae. An acceptable alternative name for the subfamily is Papilionoideae....
) commonly know as rattlepods.

Discussion

Ask a question about 'Crotalaria'

Start a new discussion about 'Crotalaria'

Answer questions from other users

Full Discussion Forum

Encyclopedia

Desert Senna (Senna covesii) is also sometimes called "rattlepod".

Crotalaria is a genus of herbaceous plants and woody shrub
Shrub

A shrub or bush is a horticulture rather than strictly Botany category of woody plant, distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and lower height, usually less than 5-6 m tall....
s in the Family Fabaceae
Fabaceae

Fabaceae or Leguminosae is a large and economically important family of flowering plants, which is commonly known as the legume family, pea family, bean family or pulse family....
(Subfamily Faboideae
Faboideae

Faboideae is a subfamily of the flowering plant family Fabaceae or Leguminosae. An acceptable alternative name for the subfamily is Papilionoideae....
) commonly know as rattlepods. Some 600 or more species of Crotalaria are described world-wide, mostly from the tropics
Tropics

The Tropics, seated in the equatorial regions of the world, are limited in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the northern hemisphere at approximately 23?26' N latitude, and the Tropic of Capricorn in the southern hemisphere at 23?26' S latitude....
; at least 500 species are known from Africa
Africa

Africa is the world's second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km? including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area....
. Some species of Crotalaria are grown as ornamentals. The common name rattlepod or rattlebox is derived from the fact that the seeds become loose in the pod as they mature, and rattle when the pod is shaken. The name derives from the Greek
Greek language

Greek is an Indo-European languages native to the southern Balkan peninsula, the language of the Greek people. It forms an independent branch within Indo-European....
, κροταλον, meaning "castanet
Castanet

Castanets are percussion instrument , much used in Moorish, Ottoman music, Music of ancient Rome, Italian music, Spanish music, Portuguese music and Latin American music....
", and is the same root as the name for the rattlesnake
Rattlesnake

Rattlesnakes are a group of venomous snake snakes, genus Crotalus and Sistrurus. They belong to the subfamily of venomous snakes known commonly as Crotalinaes....
s (Crotalus
Crotalus

Crotalus is a genus of venomous snake Crotalinaes found only in the Americas from southern Canada to northern Argentina. The name is derived from the Greek word krotalon, which means "rattle" or "castanet", and refers to the rattle on the end of the tail that make this group so distinctive....
).

Crotalaria species are used as food plants by the larva
Larva

A larva is a young form of animal with indirect developmental biology, going through or undergoing metamorphosis .The larva can look completely different from the adult form, for example, a caterpillar differs from a butterfly....
e of some Lepidoptera
Lepidoptera

Lepidoptera is an order of insect that includes moths and butterfly. It is one of the most speciose orders in the class Insecta, encompassing moths and the three superfamilies of butterfly, skipper , and Hedylidae....
species including Endoclita sericeus
Endoclita

Endoclita is a genus of moths of the family Hepialidae. There are 60 described species found in eastern and southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent....
, Etiella Zinckenella and Utetheisa ornatrix
Utetheisa

Utetheisa is a genus of Arctiidae moths. Caterpillars feed on Crotalaria , and hence the moth genus is often called rattlebox moths. Species of this Utetheisa are usually bright and colorful....
. The toxic alakaloids produced by some members of this genus are known to be incorporated by Utetheisia larvae and used to secure their defense from predators. (Eisner et al., 2003)

Crotalaria spectabilis Roth was introduced to the US from India
India

India, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and outlying territories by total area country by geographical area, the List of countries by population country, and the most populous liberal democracy in the world....
for green manure
Green manure

In agriculture, a green manure is a type of cover crop grown primarily to add nutrients and organic matter to the soil. Typically, a green manure crop is grown for a specific period, and then plowed under and incorporated into the soil....
. As a legume
Legume

A legume is a plant in the family Fabaceae , or a fruit of these specific plants. A legume fruit is a Fruit#Simple fruit that develops from a simple carpel and usually Dehiscence on two sides....
that supports nitrogen fixing bacteria, it is considered a "soil builder." However, it is also poisonous to cattle
Cattle

Cattle, colloquially referred to as cows, are domestication ungulates, a member of the subfamily Bovinae of the family Bovidae. They are raised as livestock for meat , dairy products , leather and as draft animals ....
(as are many legumes), and has spread rapidly throughout the Southeastern United States
Southeastern United States

The US Southeast is the eastern portion of the Southern United States, but the Census Bureau does not provide a standard definition of a "Southeast" region of the United States, and organizations that need to subdivide the US are free to define a "Southeast" region to fit their needs....
where it is now considered an invasive species
Invasive species

Invasive species is a phrase with several definitions. The first definition expresses the phrase in terms of non-indigenous species that adversely affect the habitats they invade economically, environmentally or ecologically....
.

Crotalaria longirostrata, also known as "longbeak rattlebox" or as "chipilín
Chipilín

Chipil?n , Latin name Crotalaria longirostrata, also known as the "longbeak rattlebox," is a Perennial plant legume native to Central America....
", is a common leafy vegetable in Oaxaca
Oaxaca

The Free and Sovereign State of Oaxaca }} is one of the 31 Mexican state of Mexico, located in the southern part of the country, west of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec....
and Central America
Central America

Central America is a central geography region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmus portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast....
. It is considered a weed in the United States.

Gallery of Crotalaria retusa (Rattleweed)

Crotalaria

Gallery of Crotalaria retusa (Rattleweed)