Crotalaria vitellina Ker Gawler (1820: 447)

Gomes, Aureliana Santos, Rodrigues, Erimágna De Morais, Moura, Débora Coelho, Melo, José Iranildo Miranda De, Ribeiro, Rayane De Tasso Moreira & Queiroz, Rubens Teixeira De, 2022, Fabaceae Lindl. in a Conservation Unit in the Semi-Arid Region of Paraíba, Brazil, Phytotaxa 555 (1), pp. 17-41 : 28-29

14. Crotalaria vitellina Ker Gawler (1820: 447) . ( Fig. 3l )

Subshrubs, branches pilose, inermous. Nectary absent. Stipules lateral, narrow–triangular. Leaves imparipinnate, 3–foliolate, leaflets opposite, oblanceolate, venation brochidodromous, translucid punctuation absent. Inflorescence raceme, terminal. Flowers pedicellate, zygomorphic, diplostemonous; calyx gamosepalous, sepals 5, corolla dialypetalous, papilionaceous, yellow, petals 5; androecium monadelphous, homodinamous, anthers longitudinal; ovary superior, sessile, pluriovulate. Fruit legume, sessile, linear, plane, margin straight, epicarp tomentulose, brown. Seeds reniform, plane, coat brown, hilum central.

Examined material:— BRAZIL. Paraíba: Maturéia, Pico do Jabre , 1.197 m elev., 14 April 2019, fl. & fr., Aureliana Gomes 3051 ( HACAM) .

Distribution and ecology: —The species occurs in Mexico, Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, Paraguay and Brazil, where it can be found in the Central-West (DF, GO), Northeast (BA, CE, PA, PE), Southeast (MG, RJ, SP) and South (PR, SC) associated with the domains of Caatinga, Cerrado and Atlantic Rainforest (BFG 2018; INCT - Virtual Herbarium of Flora and Fungi). In the study area, it was collected on the outcrop plateau at 1197m, in litolic soil.

Phenology:— Registered with flowers and fruits in April.

Crotalaria vitellina can be recognized, mainly, by the subshrub habit, trifoliolate and palmate leaves, raceme inflorescence and yellow corolla. In the study area, it was the only one to present inflated legume.

Figures

FIGURE 3. Species of Fabaceae Lindl. of the study area, Pico do Jabre State Park, Paraíba, Brazil. a Centrosema brasilianum. b Platymiscium floribundum. c Macropsychanthus grandiflorus d Centrosema sagittatum. e Ancistrotropis peduncularis. f Poecilanthe grandiflora. g Erythrina velutina. h Chamaecrista repens. i Canavalia brasiliensis. j Bauhinia cheilantha. k Stylosanthes viscosa. l Crotalaria vitelina. (Source: the authors).