''Crotalaria pallida'', commonly known as the smooth crotalaria, is a species of flowering plant within the family
.
Synonyms and common names
Synonyms
A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are all ...
are ''Crotalaria mucronata'' Desc, ''Crotalaria striata'' DC, ''Crotalaria falcata'' VAHL ex DC, ''Crotalaria brownei'' DC., ''Crotalaria fertilis'' Delile, ''Crotalaria hookeri'' Arn., ''Crotalaria pisiformis'' Guill. ''&'' Perr., ''Crotalaria siamica'' F.N.Williams, ''Crotalaria striata'' var. ''acutifolia'' Trin., ''Crotalaria tinctoria'' Baill, ''Crotalaria zuccarininana'' D.Dietr.
[ The preferred common name is ''crotalaria'', with other common names including ''striped rattlepod'' and ''crotalaire striée''.][
]
Description
This shrub (annual or short-lived perennial herb) has height of about 1.5 m. The stout stem is hairy and has longitudinal grooves. Leaves are trifoliate with a 2-8.5 cm long petiole, leaflets 3-13 x 2–5 cm and elliptical to obovate. Flowers are yellow, often reddish-brown veined and borne on 15–40 cm long racemes, each with 20-30 flowers. Fruits are 3-5 x 0.6-0.8 cm, 30-40 seeded that are heart-shaped, 3 x 2 mm, shiny, mottled ochre and dark grey-green or brown.
Distribution
''Crotalaria pallida'' is found in Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
, Sudan
Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic t ...
, Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
, Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...
, and Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
.
Uses
The plant is grown as a ground cover and a green manure crop, especially in the inter-rows of rubber trees and coconut palms. Flowers are eaten as a vegetable in Cambodia, where the seeds are roasted and grounded for use as a sort of coffee beverage. The roots are sometimes chewed with betel nuts in Vietnam. In traditional medicine, the plant is used to treat urinary problems and fever, a poultice of the roots is applied to swelling of joints and an extract of the leaves is taken to expel intestinal worms.[Chong, K. Y., H. T. W. Tan & R. T. Corlett, 2009. ''A Checklist of the Total Vascular Plant Flora of Singapore: Native, Naturalised and Cultivated Species''. Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research, National University of Singapore, Singapore. 273 pp.]
''Crotalaria mucronata'' Desv was reported to be widely used in the southern part of the U.S.A. as a green manure crop under the name “giant striata”.
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q15221179
pallida
This list of Latin and Greek words commonly used in systematic names is intended to help those unfamiliar with classical languages to understand and remember the scientific names of organisms. The binomial nomenclature used for animals and plants i ...