Herbarium JCB

Crotalaria retusa L.

Family : FABACEAE
(PEA OR BEAN FAMILY)
Family (as per The Plant List) : Leguminosae
Subfamily : Faboideae
Species : Crotalaria retusa
Species Name (as per The Plant List) : Crotalaria retusa L.
Common name : Common Rattle Pod
Vernacular name : Khunkhuniyan, Ghunghunnian (Hin.); Gejje gida (Kan.); Ghagri (Tam.); Potti-giligicha (Tel.); Shanapuspushpi (San.)
Collection Nos : HJCB-0146; HJCB-E-327
Collector(s) Name : K.Sankara Rao, K.R.K.Swamy & Arun Singh R.; Arun Singh R., K.R.K.Swamy & Navendu Page
Collection Date : 19/11/14; 26/02/2016
Collection Locality : Palamner forest range, Chittoor district, Andhra Pradesh State; Chilika-Bhubaneswar Highway, Khurda district, Odisha State
Habitat : Open deciduous forest
Key identification features : A handsome herb with branches furrowed and white-hairy. Leaves are simple, obovate, retuse at apex, glabrous above and silky-hairy beneath. Inflorescence is a many-flowered terminal raceme. Flowers are pretty, 2.5-3 cm, yellow with purple tinge. Pod is stalked with many seeds.
Habit : Undershrub
Flower, Fruit : August-March
Native : South-East Asia
Comments : Occasional on plains and river banks to 1200 m.
Conservation Status : Not Evaluated (NE)
Distribution Locality : Bellary district (Karnataka State); Vandalur R.F. (Kanchipuram district, former Chengalpattu district), Dharmapuri district (Tamil Nadu State); Srikakulam district, Kambakkam Hills (Chittoor district), Penukonda R.F. (Ananthapur district) (Andhra Pradesh State); Vasakuthi R.F. (SBP), Khurda district, Subarnapur district, Dhenkanal district, Puri district (Odisha State)
World Distribution : Pantropical
Literature : Pullaiah et al., 2001 - Flora of Eastern Ghats Vol. 2; H.O. Saxena & M. Brahmam, 1994- Flora of Orissa Vol. 1 ; R. S. Rao and S. H. Sreeramulu, 1986 - Flora of Srikakulam District; Matthew, K.M., The Flora of Tamil Nadu Carnatic, Vol.3 (1). Diocesan Press, Madras. 1983.
Citation : Sankara Rao, K., Arun Singh R., Deepak Kumar, Raja K Swamy and Navendu Page (2016). Digital Flora of Eastern Ghats. http://easternghats.ces.iisc.ernet.in/plants.php?name=Crotalaria retusa. Downloaded on 2 April 2025.