Crotalaria longirostrata

Hook. et Arn.

Long-beak rattlepod

Fabaceae Edible: Leaves, Flowers Potential hazards — see below 256 iNaturalist observations

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Summary

Crotalaria longirostrata, the chipilín, is a perennial legume that is native to Mexico and Central America. Other common names include chepil, chepilin, chipilin and longbeak rattlebox.

Description

A herb or shrub. It is erect and grows 1.5 m high. The leaves are deep green. They are compound and alternate. The flowers are yellow.

This description is brief — help expand it

Edible Uses

The leaves are cooked and eaten, can be ground with garlic and added to bread or white sauce for a distinctive flavor, and can be dried and stored. The flowers are also edible.

Traditional Uses

The leaves are cooked and eaten. The leaves can be ground with garlic and put on bread of added to white sauce. They add a very distinctive favour. It can be dried and stored. Caution: Some Crotalarias contain alkaloids and this plant should probably be eaten only in small amounts in soups.

Medicinal Uses

The leaves are used in folk medicine as a purgative or emetic. It is said that they act as a purgative if the leaves are held downward, whilst they act as an emetic if they are held upward!.

Known Hazards

Some Crotalarias contain alkaloids; this plant should probably be eaten only in small amounts in soups.

Distribution

A tropical plant. It will grow to 2,300 m in Guatemala.

Where It Grows

Central America*, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Hawaii, Honduras, Mexico, North America, Panama, South America, USA,

Cultivation

Plants in this genus generally prefer a sunny position, succeeding in dry to moist, well-drained soils. The plant has been known to escape from cultivaion - it is recorded as 'Invasive' in Hawaii. This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria, these bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby.

Propagation

Seed - sow in situ. Pre-soaking the seed for 12 hours in warm water can help to reduce germination time.

Production

It grows very quickly during the rainy season. It will produce edible leaves for 6 months before needing replanting.

Other Information

It is a cultivated food plant.

Notes

There are about 550 Crotalaria species. They are mostly tropical. It strongly fixes nitrogen improving the soil.

Nutrition

Part	Moisture	kJ	kcal	Protein	Vit A	Vit C	Iron	Zinc
Leaves	—	—	—	—	50	4.7	—	—

References (21)

Bot. Beechey Voy. 285. 1838
Casas, A., et al, 1996, Plant Management Among the Nahua and the Mixtec in the Balsas River Basin, Mexico: An Ethnobotanical Approach to the Study of Plant Domestication. Human Ecology, Vol. 24, No. 4 pp. 455-478
Chizmar Fernandez, C., et al, 2009, Plantas comestibles de Centroamerica. Instituto de Biodiversidad, Costa Rica. p 195
Facciola, S., 1998, Cornucopia 2: a Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, p 103
FAO, 1993, Valor Nutritivo Y Usis en Alimantacion humana de Algunis Cultivos Autoctonos Subexplotados de Mesoamerica. FAO, Santiago, Chile. p 60

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