crotalaria pallida as landscape element

Crotalaria pallida was primarily grown as nitrogen fixer and cover crop in plantations in the early days before mucuna bracteata and a few other legumes become popular. For small backyard gardens like ours, crotalaria pallida  is  both useful and suitable. Its very manageable and neat.  If it grows too tall and leggy, it wouldn't mind a bit of pruning.

I will recommend  crotalaria pallida to anyone, 

as cover crop and nitrogen fixers 

and it has beauty to match. 

Pic 1: Crotalia pallida alongside Mengkudu

Three crotalaria pallida  at the edge of mengkudu tree.  

Lighter green of crotalaria soften 

the extremely rich green of mengkudu

Pic 2: Crotalaria Pallida in rows  as companions
to a few banana trees
(not visible in this picture)

_____bangchik and kakdah_____

crotalaria pallida with fancy flowers

crotalaria pallida

crotalaria pallida

bangchik and kakdah

Putrajaya Vegetable Garden

Crotalaria Pallida, a new addition to Putrajaya backyard garden

I parked under a large tree at Bangi Golf Resort. As I get out of the car, a cluster of small shrubs attracted my attention. The shrubs were  about 3 feet high, with yellow flowers and  seedpods hanging down nicely. I took a few ripe seedpods home.

I googled to get  its name, Crotalaria Pallida, a leguminous plant.  I remembered seeing these plants in Kampung Pelegong and Kampung Gamin Tengah, both in Negeri Sembilan while visiting friends. I dont think I ever seen one in  Putrajaya or Perak.

Description
This is an erect shrub, annual or short-lived perennial herb of 1.5 m or more tall.  The stout stem is hairy and has longitudinal grooves. Leaves are trifoliate with a 2-8.5 cm long petiole, leaflets 3-13 x 2-5 cm and elliptical to obovate. Flowers are yellow, often reddish-brown veined and borne on 15-40 cm long racemes, each with 20-30 flowers. Fruits are 3-5 x 0.6-0.8 cm, 30-40 seeded that are heart-shaped, 3 x 2 mm, shiny, mottled ochre and dark grey-green or brown.

Crotalaria pallida Aiton. Fabaceae. CN: [Malay - (Dusun) Kiri-kiri, Tirik-irik], Salts rattlebox, Smooth rattlebox, Striped crotalaria, Streaked rattlepod, Native of tropical Africa, tropical Asia' elsewhere naturalized or cultivated. perennial herb or sub-shrub, with stems ascending or erect, 1-2 m tall. Leaves are trifoliate, leaflets elliptic, ovate, or oblanceolate, 2.8-9.5 cm long, 1.2-4.5 cm wide. Leaf base is wedge-shaped or rounded, with leaf stalk 2.2-6.7 cm long. Flowers are 1-1.5 cm long, 22-75 in terminal, somewhat lax inflorescence about 15-40 cm long. Petals are yellow with lines near base, standard petal 0.9-1.2 cm long, 7-9 mm wide, keel petals striated, with non-twisted prolonged beak. Pods brown at maturity, 3.5-3.8 cm long.

reference http://lkcnhm.nus.edu.sg/dna/organisms/details/523

I had them germinated and transplanted to one side of the backyard garden.  Some didn't survive, trampled by neighbour's cats or chewed by snails. Now these Crotalaria Pallida are producing seeds pods.

Crotalaria Pallida: Seedpods

Crotalaria Pallida: Flowers

Crotalaria Pallida: young flowers

Crotalaria Pallida: flowers, full bloom.

Crotalaria Pallida:  shrubs

I love these cute little perennials for the flowers that had been attracting bees, and for its nitrogen fixing potentials. I noticed these crotalaria pallida seemed  happy with a bit of pruning.




Ref:

Rattlebox (Crotalaria) Species At JDSP

Bangchik and Kakdah

Putrajaya