Crotalaria vasculosa
Wall. ex Benth.
iNaturalist· cc-by-nc
(c) Charles Hopkins, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Charles Hopkins
iNaturalist· cc-by-nc
(c) magdastlucia, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
Description
An annual shrub. The lower branches hang down. The leaves have short leaf stalks. The leaves are compound with 3 leaflets. The leaflets are 3-8 cm long by 1-3 cm wide. They are narrowly oval. The flowering stalks are short and at the top of the plant. They are 3-17 cm long with many flowers. The flowers are pale yellow with purple veins. The pod does not have a stalk. The pod is 2 cm long and cylinder shaped but with a pint. It is covered with brown hairs. There are about 20 seeds. The seeds are 2.5 mm long.
Edible Uses
The leaves are eaten as a vegetable.
Distribution
It is a tropical plant. It grows from sea level to 1,100 m above sea level. It grows in open woodland, grassland and along streams.
Where It Grows
Africa, East Africa, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Southern Africa, Zimbabwe,
Synonyms
References (2)
- East Africa Herbarium records, 1981,
- Peters, C. R., O'Brien, E. M., and Drummond, R.B., 1992, Edible Wild plants of Sub-saharan Africa. Kew. p 132
