Crotalaria martiana Bentham (1843:482)

Flores, Andréia Silva & Tozzi, Ana Maria Goulart De Azevedo, 2018, A synopsis of the genus Crotalaria (Leguminosae) in Brazil, Phytotaxa 346 (1), pp. 31-58 : 43

19. Crotalaria martiana Bentham (1843:482) . ( Figs. 4a,b , 7a,b ).

Type: — BRAZIL. undated, C.F.P. Martius 1142 (holotype: M 0219453 digital image!; isotypes: BR 842346 digital image!, K 000500569 digital image!)

Subshrubs or shrub 1–2 m high; branches canescent or densely pubescent, stem not ribbed; internodal stem wings 3 × 0.5–1 cm or reduced, apex auriculate, obtuse or triangular, near to inflorescences or absent. Leaves simple, blades widely oblong, oblanceolate, obovate or oblong- elliptic, 4.5–8 × 1–4 cm, canescent or pubescent above and beneath; stipules absent. Inflorescence a raceme, 4–30 cm long, terminal, internodal or opposite to a leaf, peduncles 1–3 cm long. Flowers 10–20, pedicels 7–13 mm long; bract 5–20 × 2–5 mm, oval- lanceolate or foliaceous, persistent; bracteoles 8–20 × 2–5 mm, oval- lanceolate or foliaceous, persistent; calyx 15–30 mm long, deeply divided into 2 lips, pubescent; corolla yellow; the standard petal 1.5–2 × 1.2–1.8 cm; wing petals 1.5–2 cm long; keel petals 1.5–2.1 cm long, twisted; ovary 5–6 mm long, subsessile; style geniculate. Legumes 2.2–5 × 0.6–1.5 cm, oblong clavate or obovate, glabrous, black at the maturity, ca 30-seeded. Seeds 4–5 × 4–5 mm, seed coat brown.

Two subspecies are recorded for Crotalaria martiana and these may be distinguished as in the following key:

1. Keel petals semi-orbicular with a short, slightly incurved beak; leaves oblong or oblanceolate .............................. subsp. martiana

– Keel petals shortly rounded with a rather long, projecting beak; leaves widely oblong, obovate or oblong-elliptic ......................... ........................................................................................................................................................................... subsp. mohlenbrockii

Figures

FIGURE 4. Habit of (a) Crotalaria martiana subsp. martiana Benth. (Irwin et al. 22820, UEC), (b) Crotalaria martiana subsp. mohlenbrockii (Windler & S.G. Skinner) Planchuelo (Flores et al. 880, UEC), (c) Crotalaria nitens Kunth (Cid & Lima 3267, MG), (d) Crotalaria otoptera Benth. (Flores & Rodrigues 1005, UEC). Scale bar: 5 cm.

FIGURE 7. Habit of (a) Crotalaria martiana subsp. martiana DC., (b) Crotalaria martiana subsp. mohlenbrockii (Windler & S.G. Skinner) Planchuelo, (c) Crotalaria maypurensis Kunth, (d) Crotalaria micans Link, (e) Crotalaria miottoae A.S. Flores & A.M.G. Azevedo, (f) Crotalaria otoptera Benth. Photos by A.S. Flores.