Crotalaria ochroleuca

Family: Fabaceae

What it is like

An erect annual, or short lived perennial. It grows 0.5-2.7 m tall. There are fine hairs on the stems. The leaves have 3 leaflets. These are narrow and 5-13 cm long by 0.5-3 cm wide. They are slightly hairy underneath. The flower clusters are 10-50 cm long, with many flowers which are 2 cm long. They are yellow with red streaks. The wings of the flowers have a purple mark at the base. The fruit is like a cylinder and is 5-7 cm long by 1.5-2 cm wide.

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

Where it is found

A tropical plant. In Papua New Guinea is grows from 30 m to 1,800 m altitude. It is mostly on plantations. In Zambia it grows in savannah. In southern China it grows in shady places with thin soil.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa (country/location of origin), Angola, Asia, Australia, Benin, Botswana, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central Africa, Central African Republic, CAR, Chad, Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, East Africa, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinée, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Pacific, Papua New Guinea, Rwanda, Sahel, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, South America, Southern Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, West Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe

How it is used for food

The leaves are cooked and eaten. The leaves are often dried. They are also chopped and boiled and eaten with other foods. Caution: Drying often is used to get rid of a poison. People become drowsy if they eat the flowers. Dried flowers are used for flavouring.

It is a cultivated food plant.

Edible parts

Leaves, vegetable, flowers

How it is grown

Plants can be grown from seeds.

Young leaves are picked off the plant.

Its other names

Local names

Ajalu, Alaju, Alwaru, Bumpo, Kamra, Karelmot, Kumuro, Lala, Marejea, Mitoo

Synonyms

Crotalaria intermedia;