Crotalaria cleomifolia Welw. ex Baker

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Photo: Bart Wursten
Nhahomba area, Chimanimani National Reserve

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Description:	Shrubby perennial 1–4.5 m tall; branches variously velvety to spreading yellowish hairy. Leaves 3–5-foliolate; leaflets more or less narrowly elliptic, 4–12 cm long, discolorous, dark green above, greyish and usually hairy beneath; petiole shorter than the leaflets; stipules linear-caudate, 1–5 mm long. Racemes mostly 10–30 cm long, many flowered, on short peduncles; bracts linear-caudate, 2–10 mm long. Calyx 6–7 mm long, deflexed against the pedicel; lobes narrowly triangular, as long as the tube or longer. Standard elliptic, bright yellow, usually veined reddish-brown; wings markedly shorter than the keel; keel 1.2–1.7 cm long, rather strongly rounded about the middle, with a narrow beak incurved towards the tip. Pod with a short stipe, narrowly cylindric, 3.5–6 cm long, sometimes shortly curved upwards at the tip, sparsely velvety to densely spreading hairy, 30–40-seeded.
Type location:	Angola, Cuanza Norte
Notes:
Derivation of specific name:	cleomifolia: with leaves like a Cleome; referring to the palmately 3-5-foliolate leaves, unusual for the genus.
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Worldwide distribution:	Widespread in tropical Africa.
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Literature:	Burrows, J.E. & Willis, C.K. (eds) (2005). Plants of the Nyika Plateau Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 31 SABONET, Pretoria Page 155. Burrows, J.E., Burrows, S.M., Lötter, M.C. & Schmidt, E. (2018). Trees and Shrubs Mozambique Publishing Print Matters (Pty), Cape Town. Page 290. (Includes a picture). Drummond, R.B. (1972). A list of Rhodesian Legumes. Kirkia 8(2) Page 217. Drummond, R.B. (1975). A list of trees, shrubs and woody climbers indigenous or naturalised in Rhodesia. Kirkia 10(1) Page 244. Mapaura, A. & Timberlake, J. (eds) (2004). A checklist of Zimbabwean vascular plants Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 33 Sabonet, Pretoria and Harare Page 46. Martins, E.S. et al. (2003). Papilionoideae Flora Zambesiaca 3(7) Pages 144 - 146. (Includes a picture). Ntore, S. & al. (2024). Checklist of the vascular plants of Burundi Page 117. Strugnell, A.M. (2006). A Checklist of the Spermatophytes of Mount Mulanje, Malawi Scripta Botanica Belgica 34 National Botanic Garden of Belgium Page 96. Troupin, G. (1983). Fabaceae (Papilionaceae) Flore du Rwanda Spermatophytes Volume II Page 136. (Includes a picture).

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Flora of Burundi: Crotalaria cleomifolia
Flora of Malawi: Crotalaria cleomifolia
Flora of Mozambique: Crotalaria cleomifolia
Flora of Zambia: Crotalaria cleomifolia
Flora of Zimbabwe: Crotalaria cleomifolia

External websites:

African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Crotalaria cleomifolia
African Plant Database: Crotalaria cleomifolia
BHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library): Crotalaria cleomifolia
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Crotalaria cleomifolia
GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility): Crotalaria cleomifolia
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
iNaturalist: Crotalaria cleomifolia
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Crotalaria cleomifolia
JSTOR Plant Science: Crotalaria cleomifolia
Mansfeld World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops: Crotalaria cleomifolia
Plants of the World Online: Crotalaria cleomifolia
Tropicos: Crotalaria cleomifolia
Wikipedia: Crotalaria cleomifolia