Crotalaria eremaea

Crotalaria eremaea, also known as the bluebush pea or loose-flowered rattlepod, is a species of legume native to Australia and occurring in all mainland states and territories except for Victoria and the Australian Capital Territory.

Description
Crotalaria eremaea grows as a perennial herb or softwooded shrub up to 2m tall. Stems are glabrous, tomentose or pubescent. Leaves are 1- or 3-foliate, with a larger terminal leaflet 10-80 mm long, and two smaller lateral leaflets less than 10 mm long or absent. Leaflets are pubescent and narrow-elliptic, oblong, or ovate, and are borne on petioles 18-45 mm long.

Flowers are borne on a terminal raceme 6-40 cm long, with 15-30 flowers on each. Calyx is pubescent and around 5 mm long. Corolla is bright yellow and 10-20 mm long. Pods are narrow-obovate, 15-30 mm long, and contain yellow seeds around 3.5 mm long.

Crotalaria eremaea grows in sandy soils across most of the inland of Australia.

Taxonomy
Crotalaria eremaea was first described by Ferdinand von Mueller from a specimen collected by Augustus Charles Gregory near 'Cooper's River and its tributaries'.

Two subspecies are currently accepted:


 * Crotalaria eremaea F.Muell. subsp. eremaea
 * Crotalaria eremaea subsp. strehlowii (E.Pritz.) A.T.Lee