Crotalaria unifoliolata Bentham (1839:430)

Flores, Andréia Silva & Tozzi, Ana Maria Goulart De Azevedo, 2018, A synopsis of the genus Crotalaria (Leguminosae) in Brazil, Phytotaxa 346 (1), pp. 31-58 : 54

37. Crotalaria unifoliolata Bentham (1839:430) . ( Figs. 5c , 8e ).

Lectotype (designated by Flores et al. 2016):— BRAZIL. “Near Oretiro”, undated, J.B.E. Pohl 1078 (K 000500552 digital image!)

Shrub or subshrub, 0.3–0.4 m high; branches finely pubescent; internodal stem wings absent. Leaves 1-foliolate, petioles 0.8–2 cm long; leaflets narrowly oblanceolate or elliptic, 1.7–4.2 × 0.6–1.9 cm, glabrous above, puberulous beneath; stipules 3 mm long, linear. Inflorescence a raceme, 3.5–10 cm long, terminal; peduncles 0.5cm long. Flowers 4–17, pedicels 3–5 mm long; bracts 3–5 mm long, oval- acuminate, caducous; bracteoles 1–3 mm long, oval- acuminate, caducous; calyx 8–10 mm long, lobes twice as long as the tube, pubescent; corolla yellow; the standard petal 1–1.2 × 1.1–1.3 cm; wing petals 1.1–1.3 cm long; keel petals 1–1.2 cm long, lanose on the upper margin, untwisted; ovary 3–4 mm, stipitate; style curved. Legumes 2.5–2.7 × 0.8–1 cm, cylindrical, puberulous, brown at maturity, ca. 8-seeded; seeds 4 × 5 mm, seed coat brown.

Distribution and Ecology: — Crotalaria unifoliata is frequent in the states of São Paulo, Minas Gerais, Goiás, and the Federal District, and is a characteristic taxon found on rocky slopes and wooded savannas.

Selected material examined: — BRAZIL. Federal District: Brasília, 15º 46’ 368”S, 47º 51’ 809”W, 08 February 2002, Flores et al. 843 (UEC). Goiás: Alto Paraíso de Goiás, 14º03’ 857”S 47º30’ 254”W, 11 February 2002, Flores et al. 877 (UEC). Minas Gerais: Belo Horizonte, 02 January 1977, Gibbs 4100 (UEC). São Paulo: Botucatu, 23 November 1979, Aguiar 14 (F).

Figures

FIGURE 5. Habit of (a) Crotalaria rufipila Benth. (Flores & Rodrigues 1010, UEC), (b) Crotalaria subdecurrens Mart. ex Benth. (Flores et al. 861, UEC), (c) Crotalaria unifoliolata Benth. (Flores et al. 814, UEC), (d) Crotalaria velutina Benth. (Flores & Tozzi 422, UEC). Scale bar: 5 cm.

FIGURE 8. Habit of (a) Crotalaria paulina Schrank, (b) Crotalaria rufipila Benth., (c) Crotalaria subdecurrens Mart. ex Benth., (d) Crotalaria tweediana Benth., (e) Crotalaria unifoliolata Benth., (f) Crotalaria vitellina Ker-Gawler. Photos by A.S. Flores.