Low rattlebox
Crotalaria pumila
Fabaceae


Landscape Uses:

Wildflower and rock gardens.

Ecological Restoration Notes:

A frequent understory wildlflower in open coastal area; rarer inland.
Availability:
Grown by enthusiasts.
Description:
Small creeping herb with attractive clusters of yellow flowers.
Height:
Typically 3-6 inches tall. Spreading and forming small, open patches.
Growth Rate:
Fast.
Range:
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:
Pinelands, beach dunes and coastal thickets.
Soils:
Moist, well-drained sandy or limestone soils, without humus.
Nutritional Requirements:
Low; it grows in nutrient poor soils.
Salt Water Tolerance:
Low; does not tolerate long-term flooding by salt or brackish water.
Salt Wind Tolerance:
Secondary line; tolerates significant salt wind without injury, but usually is somewhat protected.
Drought Tolerance:
High; does not require any supplemental water once established.
Light Requirements:
Full sun.
Flower Color:
Yellow with red stripes.
Flower Characteristics:
Showy clusters.
Flowering Season:
All year.
Fruit:
Brown inflated pod (legume). Seeds "rattle" when the fruit is ripe.
Wildlife and Ecology:
Horticultural Notes:
Can be grown from seed.
Comments:
A good plant for open, disturbed sites near the coast.


Roger L. Hammer
James Johnson, 2014
In habitat, Everglades National Park, Florida
George D. Gann
Keith A. Bradley
Jay Horn via iNaturalist