Low rattlebox
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Crotalaria pumila
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Fabaceae
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Landscape Uses:
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Wildflower and rock gardens. |
Ecological Restoration Notes: |
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A frequent understory wildlflower in open coastal area; rarer inland. |
Availability: |
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Grown by enthusiasts. |
Description: |
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Small creeping herb with attractive clusters of yellow flowers. |
Height: |
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Typically 3-6 inches tall. Spreading and forming small, open patches. |
Growth Rate: |
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Fast. |
Range: |
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Eastern peninsular Florida from the Monroe County Keys north to Brevard County; West Indies, southwestern United States, Mexico, Central America and South America; perhaps escaped from cultivation in Sarasota County and elsewhere. Very rare in the Monroe County Keys. |
Habitats: |
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Pinelands, beach dunes and coastal thickets. |
Soils: |
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Moist, well-drained sandy or limestone soils, without humus. |
Nutritional Requirements: |
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Low; it grows in nutrient poor soils. |
Salt Water Tolerance: |
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Low; does not tolerate long-term flooding by salt or brackish water. |
Salt Wind Tolerance: |
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Secondary line; tolerates significant salt wind without injury, but usually is somewhat protected. |
Drought Tolerance: |
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High; does not require any supplemental water once established. |
Light Requirements: |
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Full sun. |
Flower Color: |
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Yellow with red stripes. |
Flower Characteristics: |
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Showy clusters. |
Flowering Season: |
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All year. |
Fruit: |
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Brown inflated pod (legume). Seeds "rattle" when the fruit is ripe. |
Wildlife and Ecology: |
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Horticultural Notes: |
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Can be grown from seed. |
Comments: |
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A good plant for open, disturbed sites near the coast. |
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James Johnson, 2014 In habitat, Everglades National Park, Florida
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