Plant of the Week

Rattlebox
Crotalaria sagittalis L.
other common names: wild pea, locoweed
Crotalaria: from the Greek crotalon, meaning a “rattle,” in reference to the loose seeds inside the inflated pod
Sagittalis: from Latin, meaning “like an arrowhead,” for the shape of the stipules of the upper leaves
Legume family: Fabaceae (Leguminosae)

Photograph by Thomas Rosburg, Wildflowers of the Tallgrass Prairie: The Upper Midwest, Second Edition