Slenderleaf rattlepod

Where does Slenderleaf rattlepod grow?

Found in: Africa, Burundi, Cameroon, Central Africa, Central African Republic, CAR, Chad, Congo, Dominican Republic, East Africa, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Rwanda, Southern Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, West Africa, West Indies, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Notes: There are about 550 Crotalaria species. They are mostly tropical. It suppresses Meloidogyne nematodes in the soil.

Status: It is a cultivated food plant. It is a popular leafy vegetable in some places.

Growing Slenderleaf rattlepod

Cultivation: Plants are grown from seed. Seed germinate in 3-4 days. It responds well to natural compost and manures.

Edible Uses: Caution: It is bitter due to Pyrrolizidine alkaloids. If eaten with corchorus or with milk it is less bitter. The tender leaves are cooked and eaten as a vegetable. They are cooked with potash and have peanuts added to improve the flavour. Leaves can be dried and stored for later use. The seeds are poisonous.

Production: Plants are ready for harvesting after 8 weeks. Harvesting can continue for 4 months.

Nutrition Info

References

Abukutsa-Onyango, M.O., 2004. Crotalaria brevidens Benth. [Internet] Record from Protabase. Grubben, G.J.H. & Denton, O.A. (Editors). PROTA (Plant Resources of Tropical Africa), Wageningen, Netherlands. < http://database.prota.org/search.htm>. Accessed 15 October 2009.

Abukutsa-Onyango, Mary, 2007, The diversity of cultivated African leafy vegetables in three communities in western Kenya. AJFAND, Volume 7, No. 3

Acipa, A. et al, 2013, Nutritional Profile of some Selected Food Plants of Otwal and Ngai Counties, Oyam District, Northern Uganda. African Journal or Food, Agriculture, Nutrition and Development. 13(2)

East African Herbarium records, 1981,

Etkin, N.L. (Ed.), 1994, Eating on the Wild Side, Univ. of Arizona. p 50

Fowler, D. G., 2007, Zambian Plants: Their Vernacular Names and Uses. Kew. p 80

Fox, F. W. & Young, M. E. N., 1982, Food from the Veld. Delta Books. p 225 (As var. intermedia)

Grivetti, L. E., 1980, Agricultural development: present and potential role of edible wild plants. Part 2: Sub-Saharan Africa, Report to the Department of State Agency for International Development. p 42

Grubben, G. J. H. and Denton, O. A. (eds), 2004, Plant Resources of Tropical Africa 2. Vegetables. PROTA, Wageningen, Netherlands. p 229

Kew Bull. 22:266. 1968

Long, C., 2005, Swaziland's Flora - siSwati names and Uses http://www.sntc.org.sz/flora/

Maundu, P. et al, 1999, Traditional Food Plants of Kenya. National Museum of Kenya. 288p

Molla, A., Ethiopian Plant Names. http://www.ethiopic.com/aplants.htm (As Crotalaria brevidens)

Oniang’o, R., Grum, M. and Obel-Lawson, E., editors. 2008. Developing African leafy vegetables for improved nutrition. Regional workshop, 6-9 December 2005. Rural Outreach Program, Nairobi, Kenya. p 3

Peters, C. R., O'Brien, E. M., and Drummond, R.B., 1992, Edible Wild plants of Sub-saharan Africa. Kew. p 131

Purseglove, J.W., 1968, Tropical Crops Dicotyledons, Longmans. p 250 (As Crotalaria intermedia)

Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (1999). Survey of Economic Plants for Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (SEPASAL) database. Published on the Internet; http://www.rbgkew.org.uk/ceb/sepasal/internet [Accessed 28th April 2011]

Sitzungsber. Kaiserl. Akad. Wiss., Wien, Math.-Naturwiss. Cl., Abt. 1, 50:362. 1865 (As Crotalaria intermedia)

Smith, F. I. and Eyzaquirre, P., 2007, African leafy vegetables: Their role in the World Health Organization's global Fruit and Vegetables Initiative. AJFAND, Vol. 7 No. 3

Terra, G.J.A., 1973, Tropical Vegetables. Communication 54e Royal Tropical Institute, Amsterdam, p 41 (As Crotalaria intermedia)

Weinberger, K., Msuya J., 2004, Indigenous Vegetables in Tanzania. Significance and Prospects. Technical Bulletin No. 31 AVRDC, Taiwan/FAO p 4

World Checklist of Useful Plant Species 2020. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew