Crotalaria trichotoma Bojer (1835: 265)

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

42. Crotalaria trichotoma Bojer (1835: 265) . Type (neotype designated by Polhill, 1990):— MAURITIUS. Bojer s.n.

( neotype K000227294 !) .

= Crotalaria usaramoensis Baker (1914: 346) . Type (lectotype designated by Adema 2006):— TANZANIA. Uzaramo: Stuhlman s.n. (lectotype B n.v.).

= Crotalaria zanzibarica Bentham (1843: 584) . Type:— TANZANIA. Zanzibar, Bojer s.n. (holotype K000412617 !).

= Crotalaria thomensis Baker (1944: 152) . Type :— TRINIDAD. 18 December 1932, Exell 376 (holotype BM000843483 !).

Herb or shrublet, erect, 1–2 m high; young branches terete, light brown pubescent. Leaves digitately 3-foliolate. Stipules absent. Petioles 2–5 cm long, light brown puberulous. Petiolules 0.8–2 mm long, Leaflets oblanceolate, 0.7–8.5 × 0.2–3.2 cm, base cuneate, apex acute or obtuse, margin entire, glabrous upper, brown puberulous lower; lateral veins 5–12 pairs. Inflorescences terminal, open racemes, 22–33 cm long; peduncle 6.5–8.5 cm long, silvery puberulous. Bracts narrowly linear, 2–3.5 mm long, persistent. Pedicels 2–5 mm long, light brown pubescent. Bracteoles inserted distally on the pedicel, narrowly linear, 0.4–2 mm long, persistent. Calyx 3.5–5 mm long, truncate; tube 2–3 mm long; lobes subequal, narrowly linear, 1.5–2 mm long, both sides glabrous. Corolla yellow. Standard: claw 2–2.5 mm long, white tomentose above and along the margin, glabrous below, apex with appendages; blade ovate or elliptic, 11–12 × 9–10 mm, base obtuse, apex acute, margin glabrous. Wings: claw 3.5–4 mm long, glabrous, margin white puberulous; blade oblong, 12–13 × 5–5.5 mm, base oblique white puberulous, apex obtuse, margin glabrous. Keel: claw 3–3.5 mm long, glabrous, margin white pubescent; blade ovate, 9–10 × 4–5 mm, beak not twisted, base oblique, apex acuminate, margin white pubescent. Stamens: filaments fused for proximal 7–8 mm, free for distal 3.5–6 mm; anthers either narrowly linear, 2–2.2 mm long or oblong, 0.3–0.5 mm long. Ovary with 2–2.5 mm long stipe, oblong, 5–5.5 mm long, brown pubescent; style 9–10 mm long, adaxially white pubescent in a single line along the distal edge, abaxially glabrous. Pods oblong, 3.5–4.5 × 0.7–1 cm, black, pilose. Seeds reniform, 2–2.2 × 1.8–2 mm, red-brown.

Representative specimens: — MALAYSIA. Johor: Layang-Layang , June 1986, Anon. s.n. ( SING) . Kepong: 1958, Anon. s.n. ( KEP). Pahang: Cameron Highlands , 14 April 1949, Jagoe s.n. ( SING) . Selangor: September 1925, Curtler s.n. ( SING) . THAILAND. Songkhla, Hat Yai, Ban Khuan Khao Wang , 13 February 2017, Komnurdpriwan & Leeratiwong 14-559 ( PSU) . VIETNAM. Binh Tri Thien: Bach Ma, Vidal 649A ( P) . Dak Lak: 11 December 1979, Trae 342 ( HN) . Hanoi: June 1957, Thua 931 ( HNU) . Lam Dong: Da Lat, 3 January 1980, Anon. DK 07 ( HN) .

Distribution: —North America, Africa, Asia ( China, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia), Australia, Hawaii. ( Figure 26 ).

Ecology: —Elevation 9–1500 m.

Notes: —Flowering material of C. trichotoma is very similar to C. cytisoides but differs from that species by having terminal (vs leaf-opposed) and 22–33 cm long (vs 8–14 cm) inflorescences, persistent (vs caducous) bracteoles and oblanceolate (vs elliptic, ovate or obovate leaflets). Crotalaria trichotoma is introduced and here reported for the first time in Thailand.

Figures

FIGURE 26. Distribution map of Crotalaria trichotoma and C. umbellata in continental Southeast Asia.