Crotalaria glauca

Willd.

Grass-leaved crotalaria

FabaceaeFruitLeavesFlowersPotential hazards — see below

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What to Eat

Edible parts: Leaves, Pods, Flowers, Fruit, Vegetable

The leaves, flowers, and young pods are eaten as a pot herb.

Known Hazards

No specific mention of toxicity has been seen for this species, but many members of this genus are known to contain pyrrolizidine alkaloids, the most potent of which in this genus are monocrotaline, retrorsine and retronecine. These alkaloids have a cumulative effect upon the body and, unless concentrations in a plant are high, occasional consumption is generally completely safe. Pyrrolizidine alkaloids are derived from amino acids including ornithine. Many of these alkaloids have pronounced hepatic toxicity, but the lungs and other organs may be affected as well. Mutagenic and carcinogenic activities of pyrrolizidine alkaloids have also been reported.

Where to Find It

A tropical plant. It grows in long grass and wet waste places. It grows between 500-2,280 m above sea level. It grows in savannah woodland. It can grow in arid places.

Africa, Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central Africa, Central African Republic, CAR, Chad, Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, East Africa, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Guinée, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sahel, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, West Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe,

Countries: Angola, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Benin, Botswana, Congo (DRC), Central African Republic, Congo (Republic), Cote d'Ivoire, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Djibouti, Algeria, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Gambia, Guinea, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Comoros, Liberia, Lesotho, Libya, Morocco, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Seychelles, Sudan, Sierra Leone, Senegal, Somalia, South Sudan, Sao Tome & Principe, Eswatini, Chad, Togo, Tunisia, Tanzania, Uganda, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe

How to Identify

An annual herb. It grows 1 m high. The stems are slender. The leaves are simple and 8.5 cm long and narrow. The flowers are pale yellow. The fruit are pods and 2.5-3.5 cm long. There are 3 subspecies.

How to Grow

Growing at low to medium elevations in the moist to drier tropics. Plants in this genus generally prefer a sunny position, succeeding in dry to moist, well-drained soils. A highly variable species in habit. This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria; these bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby.

Propagation: Seed - sow in situ. Pre-soaking the seed for 12 hours in warm water can help to reduce germination time.

Notes

There are about 550 Crotalaria species. They are mostly tropical.

Names & Synonyms

Koro tio sina, Pau

Crotalaria amadiensis De Wild.

References (11)

Burkill, H. M., 1985, The useful plants of west tropical Africa, Vol. 3. Kew.
Dalziel, J. M., 1937, The Useful plants of west tropical Africa. Crown Agents for the Colonies London.
Grubben, G. J. H. and Denton, O. A. (eds), 2004, Plant Resources of Tropical Africa 2. Vegetables. PROTA, Wageningen, Netherlands. p 560
Hedrick, U.P., 1919, (Ed.), Sturtevant's edible plants of the world. p 228
Jardin, C., 1970, List of Foods Used In Africa, FAO Nutrition Information Document Series No 2.p 71
Martin, F.W. & Ruberte, R.M., 1979, Edible Leaves of the Tropics. Antillian College Press, Mayaguez, Puerto Rico. p 198
Peters, C. R., O'Brien, E. M., and Drummond, R.B., 1992, Edible Wild plants of Sub-saharan Africa. Kew. p 132
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (1999). Survey of Economic Plants for Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (SEPASAL) database. Published on the Internet; http://www.rbgkew.org.uk/ceb/sepasal/internet [Accessed 28th April 2011]
Sp. pl. 3(2):974. 1802
Terra, G.J.A., 1973, Tropical Vegetables. Communication 54e Royal Tropical Institute, Amsterdam, p 41
World Checklist of Useful Plant Species 2020. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew