Legumes, Milkworts, and Allies of Zihuatanejo

ORDER FABALES

-Legumes (Family Fabaceae)

-Subfamily Faboideae

-Tribe Crotalarieae

-Low Rattlebox (Crotalaria pumila)

Low Rattlebox has yellow or orange-yellow flowers with small red lines. Low Rattlebox, Crotalaria pumila, has attractive flowers, the flowers and their plants may be visited or used by butterflies, moths, flies, honeybees, native bees and other insects in search of nectar, food or shelter and protection. When you shake the seedpods of low rattlebox you’ll hear what sounds like a rattlesnake's rattle. When these seedpods are dry, they explode with a pop and fly out in every direction.

Description

• Crotalaria pumila, commonly known as low rattlebox, is a small annual or short-lived perennial herb in the legume family (Fabaceae). It typically grows close to the ground, with branching stems and simple, oval to oblong leaves. Its small yellow, pea-shaped flowers grow in short clusters and develop into small, inflated seed pods. Like other rattleboxes, its mature pods contain seeds and become dry as they ripen.

Range

• Crotalaria pumila is native to the Americas, including Mexico and parts of Central America and the Caribbean. It occurs in tropical and subtropical regions, particularly in open and seasonally dry landscapes. It is native to Zihuatanejo, Guerrero, and the surrounding area.

Habitat

• It grows in grasslands, open woodland, tropical dry forest margins, roadsides, and disturbed ground. It favours sunny locations and well-drained soils and can persist in warm environments with seasonal rainfall.