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Crotalaria sagittalis

L.

Arrowhead Rattlebox

G5Secure Found in 2 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
UnknownThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.151151
Element CodePDFAB160E0
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVascular Plant
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
KingdomPlantae
PhylumAnthophyta
ClassDicotyledoneae
OrderFabales
FamilyFabaceae
GenusCrotalaria
Other Common Names
arrowhead rattlebox (EN)
Concept Reference
Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.
Conservation Status
Rank Method Rank calculation - Biotics v2
Review Date2024-08-16
Change Date1984-02-29
Edition Date2024-08-16
Edition AuthorsJohnson, J. (2024)
Threat ImpactUnknown
Range Extent>2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences> 300
Rank Reasons
Crotalaria sagittalis is native to a wide area of eastern and southern North America, Central America, and northern South America. With a large range extent, over 1000 occurrences, and broad habitat preferences for abundant habitat, this species is considered secure.
Range Extent Comments
Crotalaria sagittalis is common across the southeastern United States with scatterred populations as far north as Minnesota and Massachusetts and as far west as Arizona. It is also found throughout Central America and northern South America. Range extent was estimated using herbarium specimens and photo-based observations documented between 1993 and 2024 (GBIF 2024, iNaturalist 2024, SEINet 2024).
Occurrences Comments
By applying a 1 km separation distance to herbarium records and photo-based observations documented between 1993 and 2024, there are estimated to be more than 1000 occurrences rangewide (GBIF 2024, iNaturalist 2024, SEINet 2024).
Threat Impact Comments
Although threats are not widely documented, Crotalaria sagittalis is potentially threatened by development, road maintenance, invasive species, and other threats in some places. However, their overall impact is likely negligible given the species' broad range, large number of occurrences, tolerance of light disturbance, and affinity for typically abundant habitats, as well as no obvious intrinsic vulnerabilities.
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Crotalaria sagittalis grows in woodlands, woodland edges, barrens, prairies, openings, fields, meadows, and shores of rivers or lakes (Native Plant Trust 2024, Weakley and Southeastern Flora Team 2024).
Terrestrial Habitats
Forest/WoodlandForest EdgeGrassland/herbaceousOld fieldBarrensCropland/hedgerow
Palustrine Habitats
Riparian
Other Nations (1)
United StatesN5
ProvinceRankNative
KansasS4Yes
MichiganSNANo
ArkansasSNRYes
WisconsinS1Yes
South CarolinaS3Yes
IllinoisSNRYes
MinnesotaS3Yes
VirginiaS5Yes
TexasSNRYes
IowaS5Yes
GeorgiaSNRYes
New MexicoSNRYes
ArizonaSNRYes
DelawareS4Yes
MarylandSNRYes
PennsylvaniaSNRYes
New YorkS1Yes
FloridaSNRYes
South DakotaSNRYes
Rhode IslandS1Yes
KentuckyS3Yes
District of ColumbiaSNRYes
NebraskaSNRYes
MississippiSNRYes
LouisianaSNRYes
VermontS1Yes
OklahomaSNRYes
MassachusettsSNRYes
North CarolinaS3Yes
West VirginiaSHYes
OhioSNRYes
MissouriSNRYes
IndianaSNRYes
AlabamaSNRYes
TennesseeSNRYes
New JerseyS4Yes
ConnecticutSNRYes
New HampshireSHYes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
Unknown/undeterminedUnknownUnknownUnknown

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Plant Characteristics
DurationANNUAL, PERENNIAL
Economic Value (Genus)No
Roadless Areas (2)
Louisiana (1)
AreaForestAcres
Saline Bayou W & S River CorridorKisatchie National Forest5,355
Texas (1)
AreaForestAcres
Little Lake CreekNational Forests in Texas596
References (6)
  1. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). 2024. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) data portal. Online. Available: https://www.gbif.org/ (accessed 2024).
  2. iNaturalist. 2024. Online. Available: https://www.inaturalist.org (accessed 2024).
  3. Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.
  4. Native Plant Trust. 2024. Go Botany website. Online. Available: https://gobotany.newenglandwild.org (accessed 2024).
  5. Southwest Environmental Information Network (SEINet). 2024. Collections Databases. Online. Available: https://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/collections/index.php (accessed 2024).
  6. Weakley, A.S., and Southeastern Flora Team. 2024. Flora of the southeastern United States. Edition of March 4, 2024. University of North Carolina Herbarium (NCU), North Carolina Botanical Garden, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. 2203 pp.