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Crotalaria spectabilis
Fabaceae FAMILY

Crotalaria spectabilis

Crotalaria spectabilis

Edibility
2/5
Medicinal
2/5

Safety & Hazards

The plant is toxic to livestock[1]. The seed and other above-ground parts contain the pyrrolizidine alkaloid monocrotaline, which lowers blood pressure but is toxic to farm animals and probably also to root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne spp.)[2]. Pyrrolizidine alkaloids have a cumulative effect upon the body and, unless concentrations in a plant are high, occasional use is generally completely safe. They are derived from amino acids including ornithine. Many pyrrolizidine alkaloids have pronounced hepatic toxicity, but the lungs and other organs may be affected as well. Mutagenic and carcinogenic activities of pyrrolizidine alkaloids have also been reported[3]. Because of its bitterness the green material is avoided by livestock[2]

Cultivation Details

HabitAnnual
Growth—

A plant of the seasonal and wet tropics and subtropics, where it is found at elevations up to 1,500 metres. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 21 - 28°c, but can tolerate 9 - 32°c[1]. When dormant, the plant can survive temperatures down to about -2°c, but young growth can be severely damaged at -1°c[1]. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 1,200 - 1,600mm, but tolerates 900 - 2,800mm[1]. Grows best in a sunny position, tolerating some shade[1]. Tolerant of a wide range of soils, including those of low fertility[1]. Prefers a pH in the range 6 - 6.5, tolerating 4.9 - 8[1]. Established plants are drought tolerant[2]. The plant has escaped from cultivation and become naturalized throughout the tropics. It is considered to be an invasive a weed of disturbed and cultivated ground[4], and has been declared a 'Noxious Weed' in America. Spring sown in Brazil the plant provides groundcover in 70 - 85 days, it flowers after 70 -85 days, and matures in 90 - 130 days[1]. Annual green material production may be about 50 tonnes per hectare[1]. This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria; these bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby[5].

Propagation

Seed - sow in situ. Pre-soaking the seed for 12 hours in warm water can help to reduce germination time. Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Crotalaria+spectabilis>

Pollinators

Data unavailable

References

  1. [1]Ecocrop — http://ecocrop.fao.org/ecocrop/srv/en/home ↩︎Basic information on a wide range of useful plants, plus details of environmental needs where available.
  2. [2]Plant Resources of Southeast Asia — http://proseanet.org/ ↩︎Lots of information on the uses of the plants of SE Asia.
  3. [3]Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa. — http://www.prota.org ↩︎An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.
  4. [4]Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk — http://www.hear.org/pier/scientificnames/index.html ↩︎A very good website detailing weed species that have been introduced into the Pacific Islands.
  5. [5]Nodulation Plants in GRIN Taxonomy — United States Department of Agriculture · http://www.ars-grin.gov/~sbmljw/cgi-bin/taxnodul.pl?language=en ↩︎An online database listing plants that have either positive or negative reports on root and stem nodulation with nitrogen-fixing bacteria.
  6. [6]Flora of China — Missouri Botanical Garden Press; St. Louis. · 1994 · http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/china/ ↩︎An excellent, comprehensive resource in 25 volumes. In addition to the botanical information the flora also gives basic information on habitat and some uses. An on-line version is also available.
  7. [7]Plants and People of Nepal — Manandhar. N. P. · Timber Press. Oregon. · 2002 · ISBN 0-88192-527-6 ↩︎Excellent book, covering over 1,500 species of useful plants from Nepal together with information on the geography and peoples of Nepal. Good descriptions of the plants with terse notes on their uses.
  8. [8]A revision of the Genus Crotalaria Linn. (Papilionaceae) in Thailand — Chawalit Niyomdham · 1978 ↩︎
  9. [9]Crotalaria L. (Fabaceae: Faboideae) in continental Southeast Asia — Ninkaew S.; Balslev H.; Pornpongrungrueng P.; Chantaranothai · 2017 · ISBN 978-1-77670-218-3 ↩︎