Common name: Yellow Rattlepod
Crotalaria mitchellii Benth. APNI* Description: Erect perennial shrub, c. 1 m high; stems glabrous or pubescent.
Leaves simple, mostly elliptic to narrow-elliptic or obovate, 4–8.5 cm long, 10–40 mm wide, upper surface glabrous, ± glandular, lower surface ± pubescent; petiole 3–5 mm long; stipules subulate, 1.5–5 mm long.
Racemes 8–20 cm long, many-flowered; pedicels 1–3 mm long. Calyx 2–6 mm long, pubescent. Corolla c. 10 mm long, c. 10 mm long; the wings shorter than keel; keel incurved at middle, beak c. 6 mm long, twisted at apex.
Pods 20–30 mm long, glabrous; seeds greenish grey, c. 4 mm long.
Distribution and occurrence: On sandy or granitic soils; north from Hunter R.
NSW subdivisions: NC, NT, NWS, CWS, NWP
Other Australian states: Qld
Text by C. Gardner & G.J. Harden
Taxon concept:
| | Key to the subspecies | |
| 1 | Stems pubescent, rarely glabrous, leaves usually elliptic, 4–8 cm long, 20–40 mm wide, lower surface densely tomentose; stipules 1.5–5 mm long. Racemes crowded >40-flowered. Shrub to 1 m high. | subsp. mitchellii |
| Stems glabrous or hoary, occasionally short pubescent; leaves narrow-elliptic or narrow-obovate, 4–8.5 cm long, 10–20 mm wide, lower surface sparsely short-pubescent to glabrous; stipules 1.5–3 mm long. Racemes less crowded <30-flowered. Shrub to 0.6 m high | subsp. laevis |
APNI* Provides a link to the Australian Plant Name Index (hosted by the Australian National Botanic Gardens) for comprehensive bibliographic data
***The AVH map option provides a detailed interactive Australia wide distribution map drawn from collections held by all major Australian herbaria participating in the Australian Virtual Herbarium project.
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