Crotalaria eremaea | |
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Scientific classification
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Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Rosids |
Order: | Fabales |
Family: | Fabaceae |
Subfamily: | Faboideae |
Genus: | Crotalaria |
Species: | C. eremaea
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Binomial name | |
Crotalaria eremaea | |
Synonyms [1] | |
Crotalaria dissitiflora Benth. |
Crotalaria eremaea, also known as the bluebush pea or loose-flowered rattlepod, is a species of legume native to Australia and occurring in all mainland states and territories except for Victoria and the Australian Capital Territory. [2] [3]
Crotalaria eremaea grows as a perennial herb or softwooded shrub up to 2m tall. [2] [3] [4] Stems are glabrous, tomentose or pubescent. Leaves are 1- or 3-foliate, with a larger terminal leaflet 10-80 mm long, and two smaller lateral leaflets less than 10 mm long or absent. Leaflets are pubescent and narrow-elliptic, oblong, or ovate, and are borne on petioles 18-45 mm long. [2] [3] [4]
Flowers are borne on a terminal raceme 6-40 cm long, with 15-30 flowers on each. Calyx is pubescent and around 5 mm long. Corolla is bright yellow and 10-20 mm long. Pods are narrow-obovate, 15-30 mm long, and contain yellow seeds around 3.5 mm long. [2] [3]
Crotalaria eremaea grows in sandy soils across most of the inland of Australia. [2] [5]
Crotalaria eremaea was first described by Ferdinand von Mueller from a specimen collected by Augustus Charles Gregory near ' Cooper's River and its tributaries'. [6]
Two subspecies are currently accepted: