More than 2200 species of the wild flora and fauna photographed in Zihuatanejo, Guerrero, Mexico and the surrounding area.
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Flowers of Zihuatanejo
Rattlepods
Crotalaria (Genus)
Flowers by Colour
-Vascular Plants (Phylum Tracheophyta)
-Flowering Plants (Subphylum Angiospermae)
-Legumes, Milkworts, and Allies (Order Fabales)
-Legumes (Family Fabaceae)
-Subfamily Faboideae
-Tribe Crotalarieae
-Rattlepods (Genus Crotalaria)
Rattlepods have 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 is a genus of flowering plants in the legume family (Fabaceae), commonly known as rattlepods or rattleboxes. Species include annual herbs, perennial herbs, and shrubs, typically with simple or compound leaves and yellow, pea-shaped flowers arranged in clusters. Their fruits are inflated or elongated pods that often become dry and rattle as the seeds mature, giving the genus its common name. Some species have soft hairs on their stems and leaves, and many contain compounds that can be toxic to livestock.
Range
• Crotalaria species occur throughout tropical and subtropical regions worldwide, with particularly high diversity in Africa and Asia. Several species are native to the Americas, including Mexico, while others have been introduced. The genus is represented in Zihuatanejo, Guerrero, and the surrounding area.
Habitat
• Depending on the species, Crotalaria plants grow in grasslands, open woodland, tropical dry forests, roadsides, fields, and disturbed ground. Many favour sunny locations, warm temperatures, and well-drained soils, and some are common in seasonally dry habitats.