Endemic to South Western Ghats this plant is a shrub growing to a height of about 2 meters. It has an angular stem which is often seen in green color. Unique features of this plant are the palmately compound leaf: about 5-7 foliate. Crotalarias belong to the pea family and are one of the important nitrogen fixing legumes. The alternatively arranged leaves are narrow, obovate (broadest portion above the middle portion of leaf) and grow to around 9 cm. The upper portion of the leaf is glabrous (smooth) and lower portion is hairy. The flowers are pea shaped and found in a raceme of about 20 cm length. The bracts are leafy, corolla color is yellow. Fruit pod is glabrous and oblong. The plant closely resembles C quinquefolia but the latter has narrower leaves and the underside of the leaf is not hairy. This plant was encountered in Valpari hills, Tamilnadu. I have also observed this plant in Aravenu in Nilgiris: less common in Nilgiris.
Hairy underside of leaf is visible
