Crotalaria uncinella Lamarck (1786: 200)

Ninkaew, Sakuntala, Balslev, Henrik, Pornpongrungrueng, Pimwadee & Chantaranothai, Pranom, 2017, Crotalaria L. (Fabaceae: Faboideae) in continental Southeast Asia, Phytotaxa 320 (1), pp. 448-450 : 448-450

44. Crotalaria uncinella Lamarck (1786: 200) . Type :— MADAGASCAR. Commerson 39 (isotypes G00022392 ! seen on image, P00374721!, P00374722!, P00374723 !).

= Crotalaria elliptica Roxburgh (1832: 279) . Crotalaria uncinella subsp. elliptica (Roxb.) Polhill (1971: 284) . Type:— CHINA. (n.v.).

= Crotalaria vachelli Hooker& Arnott (1833: 180) . Type :— CHINA. (holotype E00369040 !)

= Crotalaria madecassa Viguier (1948: 355) . Type:— MADAGASCAR. Perrier de la Bâthie 13141 (holotype P0012878 !, isotype P0012879 !).

Herb, erect, 40–50 cm high; young branches terete, white puberulous. Leaves digitately 3-foliolate. Stipules triangular, 0.5–2 mm long, caducous. Petioles 1–2 cm long, white puberulous. Petiolules 0.8–1 mm long. Leaflets elliptic, rarely obovate, 0.7–3 × 0.5–1.6 cm, base cuneate, apex obtuse or rounded, margin entire, glabrous upper, white puberulous lower; lateral veins 4–5 pairs. Inflorescences leaf-opposed, open racemes, 5–15 cm long; peduncle 1–2 cm long, brown pubescent. Bracts narrowly linear, 0.5–1 mm long, persistent. Pedicels 1.5–2 mm long, brown pubescent. Bracteoles inserted on the pedicel, narrowly linear, 0.4–0.5 mm long, caducous. Calyx 2–3 mm long, truncate; tube 1–1.5 mm long; lobes subequal, triangular, 1–1.5 mm long, glabrous inside, brown puberulous outside. Corolla yellow. Standard: claw 1.3–1.5 mm long, white tomentose above and along the margin, glabrous below, apex with appendages; blade orbicular, 5.5–6 × 7–7.5 mm, base rounded, apex rounded, margin glabrous. Wings: claw 1.5–2 mm long, glabrous; blade obovate, 5–5.5 × 3–3.5 mm, base oblique, apex rounded, margin glabrous. Keel: claw 1–1.3 mm long, glabrous; blade ovate, 5–5.5 × 3–3.2 mm, beak not twisted, base oblique, white puberulous, apex attenuate, margin white puberulous. Stamens: filaments fused for proximal 2.5–3 mm, free for distal 3–5 mm; anthers either narrowly linear, 0.5–0.8 mm long or oblong, 0.2–0.3 mm long. Ovary with 1–1.3 mm long stipe, oblong, 1.3–1.5 mm long, brown pubescent; style 8.5–10 mm long, adaxially white puberulous in a single line along the distal edge, abaxially glabrous. Pods with 1–1.5 mm long stipe, elliptic, 4–5.5 × 3–4 mm, brown with brown pubescence. Seeds reniform, 2.5–3 × 2.5–3 mm, brown.

Representative specimens: — MALAYSIA. Johor: Kampong Sungai , 10 June 1962, Sinclair 10698 ( BM, K, L, SING) . Kelantan: Kota Bharu , February 1917, Ridley s.n. ( SING) . Pahang: Nenasi , 23 August 1935, Corner 29874 ( KEP, SING) . Terengganu: Kuala Terengganu, 10 May 1925, Holtum 15199 ( SING) . THAILAND. Chon Buri: Sattahip , 3 April 1971, Maxwell 71-224 ( AAU) . Narathiwat: Mueang , 23 March 2000, Puudjaa & Cholkulchana 712 ( BKF) . Phrae: 26 November 1929, Put 2454 ( AAU, BK) . Prachuap Khiri Khan: Hat Wanakorn National Park , August 2011, Chayamarit et al. 3058 ( BKF) . Songkhla: 22 December 1978, Congdon 125 ( AAU, BKF) . VIETNAM. Dak Lak: Ban Me Thuot, Schmid 773 ( P) . Khanh Hoa: Nha Trang, Nui Hon Mim , 24 April 1922, Poilane 3127 ( HN, K, L, P) . Lam Dong: Da Lat, 18 October 1930, Poilane 18528 ( P) . Ninh Thuan: Phan Rang-Thap Cham , Ba Rau, 21 March 1943, Poilane 10108 ( P) . Thua Thien : Lang Co, Anon. 2531 ( P) .

Distribution: —Africa, Madagascar, Asia ( China, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia). ( Figure 27 ).

Ecology: —Deciduous dipterocarp forests and sandy-rocky tapioca fields, elevation 20–1500 m.

Notes: — Crotalaria uncinella is similar to C. medicaginea but it can be distinguished from that species by its elliptic (rarely obovate) digitately 3-foliolate (vs obovate or obcordate) leaves, obtuse or rounded (vs truncate or emarginate) leaflet apex, leaf-opposed (vs terminal or axillary) inflorescences, not twisted (vs spirally twisted) beak of keel and stipitate (vs sessile) pods.

Figures

FIGURE 27. Distribution map of Crotalaria uncinella in continental Southeast Asia.