Vascular Plants of North Carolina
Account for Showy Rattlebox - Crotalaria spectabilis   Roth
Members of Fabaceae:
Members of Crotalaria with account distribution info or public map:
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Section 6 » Order Fabales » Family Fabaceae
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AuthorRoth
DistributionCoastal Plain, Sandhills, and southern/eastern Piedmont (with gaps).

Native of Southern Asia; in N.A. VA to MO south to FL and TX.
AbundanceFrequent, except uncommon in the Piedmont.
HabitatRoadsides, fallow fields, crop fields, waste ground, disturbed places.
PhenologyFlowering July-September.
IdentificationLeaves of Showy Rattlebox are not divided into leaflets, the corolla is large (1.7-3.0 cm long), and the pods are glabrous. From C. retusa it may be told by its larger leaves (5-15 cm long vs. 4-8 cm long). When in bloom, this is a very conspicuous plant, though sadly it is not a native species.
Taxonomic Comments
Other Common Name(s)
State RankSE
Global RankGNR
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