Crotalaria spectabilis Roth

 
  • Family : FABACEAE
    (Pea Or Bean Family)
  • Family (Hindi name) : PALASH FAMILY (पलाश फैमिली)
  • Family (as per The APG System III) : Fabaceae
  • Subfamily : Faboideae
  • Synonym(s) : Crotalaria sericea Retz.
  • Species Name (as per The IPNI) : Crotalaria spectabilis Roth
  • Common name : Cats Bell, Rattlebox, Rattleweed, Yellow Crotalaria
  • Vernacular name :
    • Jhunjhunia (Hindi)
    • Junka, Jhunka, Haridijiling (Oria)
  • Habit : Undershrub
  • Habitat : Mixed and deciduous forests
  • Comments / notes : Common in dry deciduous and open forests.
  • Key identification features : Flowers yellow; Pods oblong, nearly glabrous.
  • Flower, Fruit : September-May
  • Collector(s) Name : Raja K. Swamy, Arun Singh, Navendu Page
  • Collection Date : 27/02/2016
  • Collection Nos : HJCB-0528
  • Collection Locality : Barbera forest, Khurdha district (OD)
  • Distribution :
    • Andhra Pradesh : Visakhapatnam district, Srikakulam district
    • Kerala : Wayanad district, Malappuram district, Palakkad district, Idukki district, Pathanamthitta district, Kollam district
    • Maharashtra : Akola district
    • Odisha : Koraput district, Mayurbhanj district, Khordha district
    • Tamil Nadu : Megamalai Wildlife Sanctuary (Theni district)
    • Uttarakhand : Uttarakhand
    • Sikkim : Sikkim
    • West Bengal : West Bengal
    • Himachal Pradesh : Shimla district
    • Arunachal Pradesh : Arunachal Pradesh
    • Meghalaya : Meghalaya
    • Assam : Assam
    • Nagaland : Nagaland
    • Uttar Pradesh : Uttar Pradesh
    • Jammu and Kashmir : Jammu and Kashmir
    • Mizoram : Mizoram
    • Andaman and Nicobar Islands : Andaman and Nicobar Islands
    • Manipur : Manipur
    • Tripura : Tripura
  • Native : Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam
  • Exotic/Native : Native
  • World Distribution : Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam
  • Conservation Status : Not Evaluated (NE)
  • 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
    • H. O. Saxena and M. Brahmam, 1989 - The Flora of Similipahar (Similipal), Orissa
    • Matthew, K.M., Flora of Tamil Nadu Carnatic, Vol.3 (1). Diocesan Press, Madras. 1983
    • Sasidharan, N. 2011. Flowering plants of Kerala. DVD, V 2, KFRI
    • Ravichandran, V. 2016. Taxonomic and Phytogeographical investigation on endemic plants of Western Ghats with special reference to Megamalai Wildlife Sanctuary of Tamil Nadu (Ph.D. thesis work)
    • Kamble & Pradhan, 1988. Flora of Akola District, Maharashtra. Botanical Survey of India
    • H J, Chowdhery, et al. Flora of Himachal Pradesh. Volume 1, Botanical Survey of India, 1984. Pg.: 197
  • Read more :
  • Permalink : http://indiaflora-ces.iisc.ac.in/plants.php?name=Crotalaria spectabilis
  • Citation : Sankara Rao, K., Deepak Kumar (2026). India Flora Online. http://indiaflora-ces.iisc.ac.in/plants.php?name=Crotalaria spectabilis. Downloaded on 14 February 2026.

Botanical Description

Herbarium Specimen(s)

Field Image(s)

Distribution District wise

India Distribution

World Distribution

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