Crotalaria

Desert Senna (Senna covesii) is also sometimes called "rattlepod".

Crotalaria
Crotalaria spectabilis
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Division:	Magnoliophyta
Class:	Magnoliopsida
Order:	Fabales
Family:	Fabaceae
Subfamily:	Faboideae
Tribe:	Crotalarieae
Genus:	Crotalaria
Species
Some 500, including: Crotalaria agatiflora Crotalaria anagyroides Crotalaria burhia Crotalaria capensis Crotalaria crispata Crotalaria cunninghamii Crotalaria eremaea Crotalaria glauca Crotalaria incana Crotalaria juncea Chipilín, Crotalaria longirostrata Crotalaria ochroleuca Crotalaria pallida Crotalaria persica Sunn Hemp, Crotalaria retusa Rattlewort, Crotalaria sagittalis Crotalaria spectabilis Crotalaria urbaniana (extinct) Crotalaria vitellina

Crotalaria is a genus of herbaceous plants and woody shrubs in the Family Fabaceae (Subfamily Faboideae) commonly known as rattlepods. Some 600 or more species of Crotalaria are described world-wide, mostly from the tropics; at least 500 species are known from Africa. Some species of Crotalaria are grown as ornamentals. The common name rattlepod or rattlebox is derived from the fact that the seeds become loose in the pod as they mature, and rattle when the pod is shaken. The name derives from the Greek, κροταλον, meaning "castanet", and is the same root as the name for the rattlesnakes (Crotalus).

Crotalaria species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including Endoclita sericeus, Etiella Zinckenella and Utetheisa ornatrix. The toxic alakaloids produced by some members of this genus are known to be incorporated by Utetheisia larvae and used to secure their defense from predators. (Eisner et al., 2003)

• Crotalaria spectabilis Roth was introduced to the US from India for green manure. As a legume that supports nitrogen fixing bacteria, it is considered a "soil builder." However, it is also poisonous to cattle (as are many legumes), and has spread rapidly throughout the Southeastern United States where it is now considered an invasive species.

Alkaloid monocrotaline, a pyrrolizidine alkaloid, the main toxic principle of Crotalaria spectabilis, is used to induce experimental pulmonary hypertension in laboratory animals^[1].

• Crotalaria longirostrata, also known as "longbeak rattlebox" or as "chipilín", is a common leafy vegetable in Oaxaca and Central America. It is considered a weed in the United States.

Gallery of different species

Crotalaria quinquefolia in Goa, India.	Crotalaria quinquefolia in Goa, India.	Crotalaria quinquefolia in Goa, India.	Crotalaria quinquefolia in Goa, India.	Crotalaria quinquefolia in Goa, India.
Crotalaria retusa flower	Crotalaria retusa seed pods	Dark Blue Tigers Tirumala septentrionis on Crotalaria retusa at Talakona forest, in Chittoor District of Andhra Pradesh, India.	Dark Blue Tigers Tirumala septentrionis on Crotalaria retusa at Talakona forest, in Chittoor District of Andhra Pradesh, India.	Blue Tigers Tirumala limniace & Dark Blue Tigers Tirumala septentrionis on Crotalaria retusa at Talakona forest, in Chittoor District of Andhra Pradesh, India.
Crotalaria verrucosa in Herbal Garden, in Rangareddy district of Andhra Pradesh, India.	Crotalaria verrucosa in Herbal Garden, in Rangareddy district of Andhra Pradesh, India.	Crotalaria verrucosa in Herbal Garden, in Rangareddy district of Andhra Pradesh, India.

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Crotalaria

Wikispecies has information related to: Crotalaria

1. ^ P. M. Werchan, W. R. Summer, A. M. Gerdes and K. H. McDonough. Right ventricular performance after monocrotaline-induced pulmonary hypertension. Am. J. Physiol. Heart. Circ. Physiol. 256: H1328-H1336, 1989 [1]

External links

• Crotalaria in West African plants - A Photo Guide.