rattlebox

Names and Synonyms

Common Names

• rattlebox

Scientific Names

Accepted name

Synonyms

• Crotalaria racemosa
• Crotalaria urbaniana
• Crotalaria bracteosa

Sources: Wikidata, Catalogue of Life

Taxonomical Classification

This plant belongs to the kingdom Plantae and the phylum Streptophyta within the class Equisetopsida. Under the subclass Magnoliidae, it is classified under the order Fabales and the family Fabaceae. Finally, it is categorized under the genus Crotalaria.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Distribution

This plant exhibits a broad geographical distribution that spans across multiple continents. In the African region, it can be found in Ethiopia within Northeast Tropical Africa and in Kenya throughout East Tropical Africa. Its presence also extends to the southern part of the continent in Zimbabwe. Moving to the Americas, the species is located in Venezuela within Northern South America. Finally, its range includes the western reaches of South America in Colombia.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Botanical Identification

Ecology

The ecology of Crotalaria paulina is characterized by a broad adaptability to diverse environmental settings and a wide vertical distribution across various landscapes. This species inhabits a variety of ecosystems, including anthropogenic areas, campo rupestre, Cerrado (latu sensu), and both Atlantic Forest (Floresta Ciliar) and gallery forest environments. Its altitudinal tolerance is extensive, allowing it to persist across a significant elevational gradient that ranges from sea level (0 m AMSL) up to a maximum altitude of 2780 m AMSL.

Elevational range max:

2780 m AMSL

Elevational range min:

0 m AMSL

Habitat :

Área Antrópica, Campo Rupestre, Cerrado (lato sensu), Floresta Ciliar ou Galeria

Life history

The life history of Crotalaria paulina is characterized by its status as a perennial species, meaning it can persist through multiple growing seasons rather than completing its cycle in a single year. Within its natural habitat, its developmental duration may exhibit variable qualities, occasionally manifesting as annual or biennial growth patterns depending on environmental conditions and resource availability. The lifecycle begins with seed germination, followed by a vegetative phase where the plant establishes a robust root system and structural biomass, eventually transitioning into a reproductive stage marked by flowering and seed production. As a perennial, it possesses the capacity to regrow from existing root structures or dormant buds after periods of unfavorable conditions, allowing for continuous or episodic contributions to the local ecosystem over an extended lifespan.

Lifecycle :

perennial

Morphology

The morphology of Crotalaria paulina is characterized by a woody growth form, typically presenting as a shrub. It functions as an independent organism, meaning it is not a parasite, and it maintains a terrestrial existence rather than being an epiphyte. While its habitat can range across aquatic, semiaquatic, and terrestrial environments, its primary growth habit is terrestrial. Regarding its structural support, the plant is classified as self-supporting, behaving as a self-supporting shrub rather than an obligatory or facultative climber, liana, or vine.

Aquatic :

terrestrial

Climber :

self-supporting

Epiphyte :

terrestrial

Growth form :

shrub

Parasite :

independent

Woodiness :

woody

Physiology

The physiology of Crotalaria paulina is characterized by a metabolic framework driven by a C3 photosynthetic pathway, which dictates its carbon fixation processes and environmental adaptations. In this C3 cycle, the initial fixation of atmospheric carbon dioxide occurs through the enzyme RuBisCO, resulting in the formation of a three-carbon compound, 3-phosphoglycerate. This pathway influences the plant's water-use efficiency and transpiration rates, as the stomatal conductance must be carefully regulated to balance CO2 uptake with moisture loss. The energetic efficiency of its metabolic processes is closely tied to the ambient temperature and light intensity, which modulate the rate of carboxylation and the subsequent production of carbohydrates required for growth, secondary metabolite synthesis, and overall physiological maintenance.

Photosynthetic pathway :

C3

Sources: Global Inventory of Floras and Traits (GIFT)

Plant Parts

Crotalaria paulina has 1 reported plant parts identified across 1 scientific publications and several other databases that are studied for medicinal purposes. The most consistently reported plant part include seed.

Seed

1. IUBMB life

Chemicals

Crotalaria paulina has 6 reported phytochemicals identified across 1 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported chemicals include Trypsin inhibitor, aspartate, glutamate, glycine, leucine.

Trypsin inhibitor

1. IUBMB life

aspartate

1. IUBMB life

glutamate

1. IUBMB life

glycine

1. IUBMB life

leucine

1. IUBMB life

serine

1. IUBMB life