Crotalaria aculeata De Wild.
subsp. aculeata

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Crotalaria aculeata subsp. aculeata

Habit
Disturbed roadside
Kabwe, Kabwe Distr.
Jan 2022
Photo: Nick Wightman

Crotalaria aculeata subsp. aculeata

Disturbed roadside
Kabwe, Kabwe Distr.
Jan 2022
Photo: Nick Wightman

Crotalaria aculeata subsp. aculeata

Disturbed roadside
Kabwe, Kabwe Distr.
Jan 2022
Photo: Nick Wightman

Crotalaria aculeata subsp. aculeata

Disturbed roadside
Kabwe, Kabwe Distr.
Jan 2022
Photo: Nick Wightman

Crotalaria aculeata subsp. aculeata

Pods
Disturbed roadside
Kabwe, Kabwe Distr.
Jan 2022
Photo: Nick Wightman

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Species details: Click on each item to see an explanation of that item (Note: opens a new window)

Synonyms: Crotalaria spinosa subsp. aculeata (De Wild.) Baker f.
Common names:
Frequency: Locally common
Status: Native
Description:
Erect spiny short-lived perennial up to 1.5 m tall; branches pubescent; leaves clustered on short shoots, 3-foliolate; leaflets 0.5-2.5 x 0.2-1.2 cm, oblanceolate, truncate or emarginate, pubescent beneath, petioles up to 2.5 cm long; stipules 1-2 mm long, linear-subulate, recurved; flowers mostly solitary on spine tipped axes from short shoots all along the branches; bracts c. 1 mm, linear; calyx 3-5 mm long, lobes triangular, 1-2 times as long as tube; standard elliptic, yellow lined and later flushed reddish, densely pubescent on outside; wings as long as keel; keel 0.8-1.2 cm long, angular with a long narrow twisted beak; pod subsessile, 1-2.3 x 0.5-0.9 cm, oblong-obovoid to cylindrical, c. 10-28 seeded; seeds 2-2.5 mm long, obliquely cordiform, smooth, brown. Subsp. aculeata differs from subsp. claessensii with pods 1-1.5 cm long, 0.5-0.8 cm in dorsiventral diameter, 1.5-2.5 times as long as broad, oblong-obovoid to shortly oblong-clavate, distinctly broadened distally.
Type location:
DRC
Notes: Crotalaria aculeata subsp. aculeata is closely related to C. spinosa and C. kapiriensis differing chiefly in the size of the different plant parts.
Derivation of specific name: aculeata: prickly, spiny
Habitat: Grasslands, seasonally damp and disturbed places, probably spreading as a weed.
Altitude range: 900 - 1700 m
Flowering time:Apr - Sep
Worldwide distribution: Angola, DRC, Burundi, Rwanda and Tanzania south through Malawi and Zambia as well as Madagascar.
Zambian distribution (Flora Zambesiaca): B,N,W,C,S
Zambian distribution (Provinces): Nw,N,C,Lk,S,W
Growth form(s):
Endemic status:
Red data list status:
Insects associated with this species:
Spot characters: Display spot characters for this species
Content last updated: Tuesday 17 May 2022
Literature:

Martins, E.S. et al. (2003). Papilionoideae Flora Zambesiaca 3(7) Page 186.

Other sources of information about Crotalaria aculeata subsp. aculeata:

Our websites:

Flora of Malawi: Crotalaria aculeata subsp. aculeata

External websites:

African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Crotalaria aculeata
BHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library): Crotalaria aculeata
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Crotalaria aculeata
GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility): Crotalaria aculeata
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
iNaturalist: Crotalaria aculeata
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Crotalaria aculeata
JSTOR Plant Science: Crotalaria aculeata
Mansfeld World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops: Crotalaria aculeata
Plants of the World Online: Crotalaria aculeata
Tropicos: Crotalaria aculeata
Wikipedia: Crotalaria aculeata


Copyright: Mike Bingham, Annette Willemen, Bart Wursten, Petra Ballings and Mark Hyde, 2011-24

Bingham, M.G., Willemen, A., Wursten, B.T., Ballings, P. and Hyde, M.A. (2024). Flora of Zambia: Species information: Crotalaria aculeata subsp. aculeata.
https://www.zambiaflora.com/speciesdata/species.php?species_id=197510, retrieved 23 April 2024

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