Crotalaria juncea

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Distribution Map: Based on vouchered plant specimens only. View county names by placing the mouse cursor over a particular county.

Species Distribution Map
Family:FABACEAE
Species:Crotalaria juncea L.
Common Name:Sunn Hemp
Habitat:**
Associated Ecological Communities:**
Growth Habit:Herb
Duration:Annual
Category:Vascular
USDA Symbol:**
Plant Notes:Sunn Hemp is an introduced herbaceous annual in the Bean Family (Fabaceae). It is native to tropical Asia, but is widely cultivated in tropical and subtropical areas around the world. Sunn Hemp occurs throughout Alabama, but is most common in the southern half of the state. It occurs in fallow fields, in pastures, on roadsides, and in other disturbed areas. It is an annual with a tap root. Stems are 3-8 feet in height, sparingly branched above the middle with short, ascending branches. The stems are green in color and pubescent. Leaves are alternate, petiolate, simple, linear to oblong in outline, pubescent on both surfaces with silky, appressed hairs, and with entire margins. Flowers are produced in erect terminal and lateral racemes. Each raceme has 12-20 papilionaceous flowers. The flowers are bright yellow in color. The fruit is an inflated legume with 10-15 seed. Sunn Hemp contains toxic alkaloids, particularly in the seeds and pods. However, the variety ‘Tropic Sun’ is nontoxic and is grown as a forage for goats and cattle. Interestingly, the plant is also toxic to nematodes, and has been used as a cover crop in rotations to reduce the presence of nematodes. Sunn Hemp is allelopathic, releasing chemicals from its leaves that reduces the germination and growth of other plants. It is easily grown from seed, preferring a well-draining, sandy soil in full sun.—A. Diamond
Taxonomic Notes:**
Status:Not Native
References:**
Specimen: View specimen details in the Alabama Herbarium Consortium Specimen Database

** Not applicable or data not available.

Classification

FamilyFABACEAE - Pea/Bean family
Genus Crotalaria
Species Crotalaria juncea L. - Sunn Hemp

Citation

Citation Crotalaria juncea Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 2: 714. 1753.
Basionym: **
Type: INDIA: Without data, Hort. Clifford s.n. (lectotype: BM). Lectotypified by Polhill, in Milne-Redhead & Polhill, Fl. Trop. E. Afr. 22: 950. 1971.

** Not applicable or data not available.

Synonyms

SynonymFull CitationBasionymType
Crotalaria benghalensis Crotalaria benghalensis Lamarck, Encycl. 2: 196. 1786. INDIA:
Crotalaria fenestrata Crotalaria fenestrata Sims, Bot. Mag. 44: t. 1933. 1817.  
Crotalaria tenuifolia Crotalaria tenuifolia Roxburgh ex Hornemann, Hort. Hafn., Suppl. 151. 1819.  
Crotalaria tridentata Crotalaria tridentata Smith, in Rees, Cycl. 10: Crotalaria no. 14. 1819.  

Specimens and Distribution

This species has been reported in the following counties by the herbaria listed. An overview of the individual specimens are provided in the table that follows. Click on the accession number to view details; click on column headers to sort; choose a county or herbaria to filter the specimen data.

Counties included on distribution map: Baldwin, Bullock, Butler, Conecuh, Covington, Crenshaw, Escambia, Greene, Macon

Counties represented by specimen data listed below:

Herbaria represented by specimen data listed below: ALNHS, AUA, JSU, SAMF, TROY, UWAL

Range of years during which specimens were collected: -

Barcode / Accession No. County Coll. Date Collector &
Collection No.		 Herbarium &
Herbarium Name Used		 Image
UWAL0030167 Butler 24 Oct 2015 Diamond, Alvin R.
26990		 UWAL
Crotalaria juncea Linnaeus
UWAL0052415 Greene 21 Aug 2017 Keener, Brian R.
10425		 UWAL
Crotolaria juncea L.
ALNHS00002992 Baldwin 27 Aug 2014 Barger, T. Wayne
SP#1455		 ALNHS
Crotalaria juncea L.
SAMF0001706 Conecuh 22 Nov 2012 Diamond, Alvin R.
23563		 SAMF
Crotalaria juncea Linnaeus
ALNHS00001283 Baldwin 24 Jul 2012 Barger, T. Wayne
SP#664		 ALNHS
Crotalaria juncea L.
TROY000049374 Crenshaw 01 Nov 2019 Diamond, Alvin R.
29138		 TROY
Crotalaria juncea Linnaeus
ALNHS00003054 Baldwin 27 Aug 2014 Barger, T. Wayne
SP#1455		 ALNHS
Crotalaria juncea L.
UWAL0050320 Crenshaw 01 Nov 2019 Diamond, Alvin R.
29138		 UWAL
Crotalaria juncea L.
TROY000038319 Bullock 06 Aug 2013 Dykes, Bailee
1659		 TROY
Crotalaria juncea Linneaus
ALNHS00008335 Covington 02 Aug 2023 Barger, T. Wayne
SP#6133		 ALNHS
Crotalaria juncea L.
TROY000036029 Conecuh 24 Oct 2012 Diamond, Alvin R.
23534		 TROY
Crotalaria juncea Linnaeus
TROY000036245 Conecuh 22 Nov 2012 Diamond, Alvin R.
23562		 TROY
Crotalaria juncea Linnaeus
UWAL0016019 Conecuh 24 Oct 2012 Diamond, Alvin R.
23534		 UWAL
Crotalaria juncea Linnaeus
ALNHS00008336 Covington 02 Aug 2023 Barger, T. Wayne
SP#6133		 ALNHS
Crotalaria juncea L.
TROY000042945 Butler 24 Oct 2015 Diamond, Alvin R.
26990		 TROY
Crotalaria juncea Linnaeus
JSU140225 Baldwin 24 Jul 2012 Barger, T. Wayne
SP664		 JSU
Crotalaria juncea Linnaeus
UWAL0054127 Escambia 05 Dec 2017 Barger, T. Wayne
3555		 UWAL
Crotalaria juncea L.
UWAL0014970 Conecuh 22 Nov 2012 Diamond, Alvin R.
23563		 UWAL
Crotalaria juncea Linnaeus
AUA000039696 Baldwin 27 Aug 2014 Barger, T. Wayne
SP1455		 AUA
Crotalaria Juncea L.
ALNHS00003690 Macon 25 Aug 2015 Barger, T. Wayne
SP#2022		 ALNHS
Crotalaria juncea L.
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