Crotalaria trichotoma Bojer, Fabaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Risk assessment results:  More information needed, score: 4 (Go to the risk assessment)

Other Latin names:  Crotalaria usaramoensis Baker f.; Crotalaria zanzibarica Benth.

Common name(s): [more details]

Chinese: guang e zhu shi dou

English: curara-pea

Spanish: cascabel vivaz

Habit:  herb

Description:  "Herbs or shrublets, to 2 m tall. Branches terete, ribbed, pubescent. Stipules subulate, ca. 1 mm. Leaves 3-foliolate; petiole 3-5 cm; petiolules ca. 2 mm; leaflet blades narrowly elliptic, 6-10 x 1-2 (-3) cm, abaxially pubescent, adaxially glabrous, base cuneate, apex acuminate and mucronate. Racemes terminal, ca. 20 cm, 10-20-flowered; bracts linear, 2-3 mm. Pedicel 3-6 mm; bracteoles inserted on apical half of pedicel, similar to bracts in shape but shorter. Calyx subcampanulate, 4-5 mm, 5-lobed; lobes triangular, ± as long as tube, glabrous to sparsely pubescent. Corolla yellow, exserted beyond calyx; standard orbicular, ca. 1.2 cm in diameter, base with 2 appendages, apex awned; wings oblong, ± as long as standard; keel ca. 1.5 cm, slightly rounded, narrowed apically from middle, marginally pubescent at base, beak rather long. Ovary subsessile. Legume cylindric, 3-4 x 0.7-1.2 cm, 50-70-seeded, glabrescent; style and calyx persistent. Seeds orangish buff to terra-cotta-colored, reniform, smooth"  (Flora of China online).

Habitat/ecology:  In Hawai‘i, "collected in low elevation, moist, disturbed roadside vegetation" (Starr, Starr & Loope, 2006; p. 35).

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  Mozambique; Tanzania (GRIN)

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Federated States of Micronesia Yap Islands	Yap (Waqab) Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 107)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Maui Island	introduced invasive	Starr, Forest/Starr, Kim/Loope, Lloyd L. (2006) (p. 35) East Maui. Voucher cited: Starr & Martz 001129-4 (BISH)
Nauru Nauru Island	Nauru Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 107)
Palau Palau (main island group)	Babeldaob Island	introduced invasive	Space, James C./Waterhouse, Barbara/Miles, Joel E./Tiobech, Joseph/Rengulbai, Kashgar (2003) (p. 100) Single plant seen in Airai State.
Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (eastern New Guinea Island)	Papua New Guinea (eastern New Guinea Island)		Waterhouse, Barbara (year unknown)
Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (eastern New Guinea Island)	Papua New Guinea (eastern New Guinea Island)	introduced	ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre (2011)
Philippines Philippine Islands	Philippine Islands	introduced	ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre (2011)

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)	Australia (continental)	introduced	ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre (2011)
China China	China (People's Republic of)	introduced invasive cultivated	Zhengyi, Wu/Raven, Peter H./Deyuan, Hong (2011) "Grasslands, along trails; 100-2000 m".
El Salvador El Salvador	El Salvador (Republic of)	introduced	ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre (2011)
Indonesia Indonesia	Indonesia (Republic of)	introduced	ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre (2011)
Indonesia Indonesia	West Papua Province (Indonesia) (western New Guinea Island) (formerly Irian Jaya)	introduced	ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre (2011)
Malaysia Malaysia	Malaysia (country of)	introduced	ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre (2011)
Perú Perú	Perú (Republic of)	uncertain if native	ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre (2011)
Taiwan Taiwan	Taiwan Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Zhengyi, Wu/Raven, Peter H./Deyuan, Hong (2011) "Grasslands, along trails; 100-2000 m".
Vietnam Vietnam	Vietnam (Socialist Republic of)	introduced	ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre (2011)

Indian Ocean
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
British Indian Ocean Territory Chagos Archipelago	Diego Garcia Island		National Tropical Botanical Garden (U.S.A. Hawaii. Kalaheo.) (1995) (voucher ID: PTBG 37914) Taxon name on voucher: Crotalaria zanzibarica Benth.
La Réunion (France) La Réunion Island	La Réunion Island	introduced	ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre (2011)
Mauritius Mautitius Islands (Mauritius and Rodrigues)	Mauritius Island	introduced	ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre (2011)
Seychelles Seychelles Islands	Seychelles Islands	introduced	ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre (2011)

Comments:  Invasive in Papua New Guinea and northern Queensland, Australia (Barbara Waterhouse, pers. com.)

Additional information:
Information from the World Agroforestry Centre's AgroForestryTree Database.

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

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

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

References:

Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce. 1979. A geographical checklist of the Micronesian dicotyledonae. Micronesica 15:1-295.

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

National Tropical Botanical Garden (U.S.A. Hawaii. Kalaheo.). 1995. Voucher specimen #PTBG37914(Art Whistler 9784).

Space, James C./Waterhouse, Barbara/Miles, Joel E./Tiobech, Joseph/Rengulbai, Kashgar. 2003. Report to the Republic of Palau on invasive plant species of environmental concern. USDA Forest Service, Honolulu. 174 pp.

Stanley, T. D./Ross, E. M. 1989. Flora of south-eastern Queensland. Queensland Department of Primary Industries, Misc. Pub. 81020. 3 Volumes.

Starr, Forest/Starr, Kim/Loope, Lloyd L. 2006. New plant records from the Hawaiian Archipelago. In: Evenhuis, Neal L. and Eldredge, Lucias G., eds. Records of the Hawaii Biological Survey for 2004-2005. Part 1: Articles. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers 87:31-43.

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

Waterhouse, Barbara. 0. Barbara Waterhouse, pers. com.

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