C. spectabilis is an erect herb 0.6-1.5 m tall. Branches terete, glabrous. Stipules ovate-triangular, approximately 1 cm. Leaves simple;petiole 2-8 mm;leaf blade oblanceolate to narrowly elliptic, 7-15 × 2-5 cm, thin, abaxially appressed silky pubescent, adaxially glabrous, base broadly cuneate, apex obtuse and mucronate. Racemes terminal, 20-30-flowered;bracts ovate-triangular, 7-10 mm. Pedicel 1-1.5 cm;bracteoles inserted at or apical to middle of pedicel, linear, approximately 1 mm. Calyx 2-lipped, 1.2-1.5 cm, glabrous;lobes broadly lanceolate-triangular, longer than tube. Corolla pale yellow;standard veined purplish red, suborbicular to oblong, 1-2 cm, base with 2 appendages, apex obtuse to retuse;wings obovate, approximately 2 cm;keel rounded about middle, with a fairly short and slightly incurved twisted beak beyond calyx. Legume broadly oblong, 2.5-3 × 1.5-2 cm, 20-30-seeded, shortly stipitate, glabrous. Seeds smooth, dark brown, 4.5 mm long (Flora of China Editorial Committee, 2015).
Related invasive species
- Crotalaria spectabilis
Related Farm Practice
- Pastures
- Hosts
- Plantations
- Flora
Related location
- United States
C. spectabilis is native to tropical Asia and has been widely introduced in many tropical countries around the world. It has escaped from cultivation and can now be found naturalized principally in open and disturbed sites. This species is a serious weed in agricultural land and natural habitats (Randall, 2012). The potential invasiveness of C. spectabilis is very high mainly because this species spreads predominantly as a contaminant in agricultural equipment, crop seeds, forages and hay (Maddox et al., 2011). In the United States, it is listed as a noxious weed in many Mid-South states (e.g., Arkansas), and it has spread rapidly throughout the Southeastern states where it is now considered an invasive species (Maddox et al., 2011;USDA-NRCS, 2015). C. spectabilis is also listed as invasive in Cuba, Australia, New Caledonia and many other islands in the Pacific Ocean (Oviedo Prieto et al., 2012;PIER, 2015;Weeds of Australia, 2015).
C. spectabilis is a common weed in maize and soyabean plantations in the United States. It is also a weed in active and abandoned pastures (Maddox et al., 2011).