Crotalaria lanceolata E.Mey., Fabaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Common name(s): [more details]

Chinese: chang guo zhu shi dou

English: lance crotalaria, lance-leaf crotalaria, lanceleaf rattlebox

French: crotalaire lancéolée

Habit:  herb

Description:  "Erect annual herbs; stems up to 17 dm long, striate, appressed short-pubescent.  Leaves trifoliolate, leaflets usually linear-lanceolate, lanceolate, or elliptic-lanceolate, 6.5-10.4 cm long, 0.4-0.8 (-1.5) cm wide, veins faint, 10-25 on each side of midvein, upper surface glabrous or sparsely pubescent, lower surface appressed short-pubescent, apex rounded or acute, occasionally mucronate, base cuneate or rounded, petioles 15-42 mm long, stipules absent.  Flowers 7-8.5 mm long, 20-50 in terminal, somewhat lax inflorescences, rachis 10-35 (-42) cm long (including peduncle), bracts linear-triangular, 1-1.5 mm long, retrorse at maturity, usually persistent, bracteoles at base of calyx, minute, linear-triangular; calyx sparsely appressed short-pubescent, the tube 2-3 mm long, the lobes 0.7-1.1 mm long, lateral lobes distinct at apex; petals yellow with reddish purple lines externally, standard 5-8 mm long, 5-7 mm wide, wings oblong, 7.4-7.5 mm long, 2.5-3 mm wide, keel petals striate, with nontwisted short beak, margins ciliate; elongated anthers ca. 1.2 mm long, short ones 0.2-0.3 mm long.  Pods brown at maturity, 1.8-3.5 cm long, stipitate, the stipe less than 3 mm long, appressed short-pubescent.  Seeds 20-50 per pod, pale yellow to orangish brown, 1.4-3 mm long, smooth"  (Wagner et al., 1999; p. 660).

Habitat/ecology:  In Hawai‘i, naturalized as a roadside weed  (Imada, 2007; p. 37; Oppenheimer, 2004; p. 12).

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  Africa (Wagner et al., 1999; p. 660).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
French Polynesia Marquesas Islands	Nuku Hiva (Nukahiva) Island	introduced cultivated	Lorence, David H./Wagner, Warren L. (2008)
French Polynesia Marquesas Islands	Nuku Hiva (Nukahiva) Island		National Tropical Botanical Garden (U.S.A. Hawaii. Kalaheo.) (2004) (voucher ID: PTBG 42499) Taxon name on voucher: Crotalaria lanceolata
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Hawai‘i (Big) Island	introduced invasive	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 660) Voucher cited: Herbst & Ishikawa 5548 (BISH)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Maui Island	introduced invasive	Oppenheimer, Hank L. (2004) (p. 12) East Maui. Voucher cited: Oppenheimer H70204 (BISH, PTBG)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	O‘ahu Island	introduced invasive	Imada, Clyde (2007) (p. 37) Voucher cited: K. Kawelo USARMY 11 (BISH)

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
China China	China (People's Republic of)	introduced invasive cultivated	Zhengyi, Wu/Raven, Peter H./Deyuan, Hong (2011) "Grasslands, along trails; to ca. 900 m. Cultivated or naturalized in Fujian and Yunnan".
Colombia Colombia	Colombia (Republic of)	introduced	ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre (2011)
Taiwan Taiwan	Taiwan Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Zhengyi, Wu/Raven, Peter H./Deyuan, Hong (2011) "Grasslands, along trails; to ca. 900 m. Cultivated or naturalized".

Also reported from
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
United States (continental except west coast) United States (other states)	United States (other states)	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. (2011)
United States (continental except west coast) United States (other states)	USA (Florida)	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. (2011)

Additional information:
Additional online information about Crotalaria lanceolata is available from the Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR).

Information about Crotalaria lanceolata as a weed (worldwide references) may be available from the Global Compendium of Weeds (GCW).

Taxonomic information about Crotalaria lanceolata may be available from the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN).

References:

ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre. 2011. International Legume Database & Information Service. Online searchable database.

Imada, Clyde. 2007. New Hawaiian plant records for 2005-2006. In: Evenhuis, Neal L. and Eldredge, Lucias G., eds. Records of the Hawaii Biological Survey for 2006. Part 2: Notes. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers 96:34-41.

Lorence, David H./Wagner, Warren L. 2008. Flora of the Marquesas Islands. National Tropical Botanical Garden and the Smithsonian Institution. Online database.

Oppenheimer, Hank L. 2004. New Hawaiian plant records for 2003. In: Evenhuis, Neal L. and Eldredge, Lucius G., eds. Records of the Hawaii Biological Survey for 2003. Part 2: Notes. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers. 79:8-20.

U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. 2011. National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Online searchable database.

U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. 2011. The PLANTS Database. National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70874-4490 USA.

Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. 1999. Manual of the flowering plants of Hawaii. Revised edition. Bernice P. Bishop Museum special publication. University of Hawai‘i Press/Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu. 1919 pp. (two volumes).

Zhengyi, Wu/Raven, Peter H./Deyuan, Hong. 2011. Flora of China (online resource).