Crotalaria goreensis Guill. & Perr., Fabaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Common name(s): [more details]

English: Gambia pea, gamba pea, rattlepod

Habit:  shrub

Description:  "Erect or rather spreading annual or short-live perennial, up to 6-26 cm tall, simple to much branched.  Stem ribbed, densely pubescent, with appressed or usually mostly slightly spreading hairs.  Leaves 3-foliolate; leaflets variable, narrowly oblanceolate-oblong to obovate, up to 35-85 mm long, 8-25 mm wide, glabrous or sparsely appressed pubescent above, thinly appressed pubescent beneath; petiole up to 35-65 mm long. Stipules oblong-falcate, 9-25 mm long, 3-7 mm wide, acuminate, very unequal-sided.  Racemes 4-24 cm long, with many flowers crowded at least towards the top; bracts subulate or filiform, 3-4 mm long, early caducous; bracteoles inserted on the pedicel, filiform, 1-1.5 mm long, caducous.  Calyx 4-5 mm long, appressed or rather spreading pubescent especially on the lobes; lobes subulate-triangular, ± as long as the tube.  Standard ovate, yellow, veined or suffused with orange, brown or purple, glabrous outside; wings oblong, a little shorter than the keel; keel bent at right-angles in the lower half, with a well-developed straight untwisted beak, 8.5-10 (-11.5) mm long, conspicuously white lanate-pubescent on the lateral surfaces towards the upper margin.  Pod subsessile, oblong-ellipsoid, 15-20 mm long, 7-9 mm across, thinly pubescent with appressed or slightly spreading hairs, often mottled brown or purplish, 12-16-seeded.  Seeds oblong-reniform, ± 4 mm long, with a small aril, minutely granulate, sometimes radially veined, yellow, usually tinged orange or red" (Gillett et al., 1971; pp. 875-876).

"Annual herb or shrub to 2 m tall, most parts with short flattened hairs.  Leaves with 3 leaflets, prominent stipules in the axils.  Flowers yellow, pea-shaped, in racemes up to 25 cm long at the end of branches.  Pods inflated, maturing brown with many small orange-red seeds" (Smith, 2002; p. 59).

Habitat/ecology:  "Common on disturbed sites, roadsides, overgrazed pastures and in riparian habitats. It readily invades disturbed areas and prevents the regeneration of native species" (Smith, 2002; p. 59).  In east Africa, "deciduous woodland and grassland, sometimes on termite mounds, also persisting on roadsides and cultivated ground; 600-2400 m" (Gillett et al., 1971; pp. 875-876).

Propagation:  "Seed is dispersed in contaminated pasture seed and fodder. Also by machinery, vehicles and water." (Smith, 2002; p. 59).

Native range:  Tropical Africa (Smith, 2002; p. 59).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Nauru Nauru Island	Nauru Island	introduced invasive	Thaman, R. R./Fosberg, F. R./Manner, H. I./Hassall, D. C. (1994) (p. 143) Vouchers cited: Fosberg 58593 (US), Fosberg 58612 (US), Fosberg 58738 (US), Scully 106N (US), Thaman & Manner 3 (SUVA), Thaman & Manner 58 (SUVA), Thaman & Manner 22311 (SUVA), Swarbrick 9569 (BRIU)
Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (eastern New Guinea Island)	Papua New Guinea (eastern New Guinea Island)	introduced	ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre (2013)

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Australia Australia (continental)	Northern Territory	introduced invasive	Smith, Nicholas M. (2002) (p. 59)
Australia Australia (continental)	Queensland	introduced invasive	Smith, Nicholas M. (2002) (p. 59)

Control:  If you know of control methods for Crotalaria goreensis, please let us know.