Crotalaria perpusilla Collett & Hemsley (1890: 37)

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

32. Crotalaria perpusilla Collett & Hemsley (1890: 37) . Type:— MYANMAR. Shan: Vioni District, 1888, Collett 932 (holotype K000591101 !).

Herb, prostrate, ca. 6 cm high; young branches terete, brown pilose. Leaves simple. Stipules caducous. Petioles short or absent. Lamina elliptic or obovate, 0.4–0.6 × 0.3–0.5 cm, base rounded or obtuse, apex rounded or obtuse, margin entire, both surfaces brown puberulous; lateral veins inconspicuous. Inflorescences terminal, with 2–3 flowered open racemes, 0.8–1.2 cm long; peduncle 2–3 mm long, brown pubescent. Bracts narrowly linear, ca. 3 mm long, caducous. Pedicels ca. 2 mm long, brown villose. Bracteoles inserted on the calyx tube, narrowly linear, ca. 2 mm long, caducous. Calyx 8–9 mm long, campanulate, bilabiate; tube 3–6 mm long; lobes triangular, 3–5 mm long, glabrous inside, brown villose outside. Corolla purple. Standard: claw 1.3–1.5 mm long, white tomentose above and along margin, glabrous below; blade sub-orbicular, 7–7.2 × 7.8–8 mm, base rounded or obtuse, apex rounded brown puberulous, margin glabrous. Wings: claw 1.3–1.5 mm long, glabrous; blade obovate, 6.7–6.9 × 2.8–3 mm, base oblique, apex rounded, margin glabrous. Keel: claw 0.7–0.9 mm long, glabrous; blade ovate, 8–8.5 × 4–4.3 mm, beak not twisted, base obtuse, apex attenuate, margin white tomentose. Stamens: filaments fused for proximal 1–2 mm, free for distal 2.5–4 mm; anthers either narrowly linear, ca. 0.4 mm long or oblong, ca. 0.1 mm long. Ovary sessile, obovate, 2–2.5 mm long glabrous; style 4–5 mm long. Pods sessile, obovate, ca. 1 × 0.5 cm, brown, glabrous. Seeds not seen.

Distribution: —Asia ( Myanmar). ( Figure 20 ).

Ecology: —Elevation ca. 1220 m.

Notes: — Crotalaria perpusilla is only known from the type collection. Its diagnostic characters are its habit as a short prostrate herb, its puberulous leaves, purple collora, not twisted beak of the keel, sessile ovary and glabrous pods.

Figures

FIGURE 20. Distribution map of Crotalaria perpusilla, C. phyllostachya and C. prostrata in continental Southeast Asia.