Slenderleaf Rattlebox

Crotalaria ochroleuca

Found in roadsides and sandy fields. FloraQuest, phone app (app page) What its natural habitat tells you

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Not native

Not native to Alabama. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 53%

Light: Partial shade, Full sun
Soil moisture: Dry to wet

No photograph yet. Looking for an old drawing…

At a glance

Bloom: April to October
Fruiting season: August to October

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Not yet recorded · Height · Spread · Life cycle · Leaves

This plant is missing most of its facts, so Quercus is looking them up in old botany books.

Recorded in 3 Alabama counties.

Habitats

Roadsides, fields and disturbed ground.

Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there. All habitats

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

8CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including AL

Genus host records with ranges including AL · Crotalaria

Amyna strictaEight-Spot Moth
Callophrys irusThe Hoary Elfin, Bog Elfin?, Frosted Elfin
Gesta baptisiaeWild Indigo Duskywing, Baptisia Duskywing
Helicoverpa zeaCorn Earworm Moth
Phoebis sennaeCloudless Sulphur
Selenisa sueroidesTailpipes, Pale-Edged Selenisa Moth
Spodoptera frugiperdaFall Armyworm Moth
Utetheisa ornatrixOrnate Moth, Pink Underwing, Rattlebox Moth, Bella Moth

Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)

—BeesSoutheastern regional records

—Specialist beesPollen specialists

2BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Crotalaria

Columbina passerinaCommon Ground Dove
Zenaida macrouraMourning Dove

Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)

Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family: Fabaceae
Fruit begins: August
Fruit ends: October

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope

Bloom · “April to October” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) · Carolinas and Georgia
Fruit begins · “August” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) · Carolinas and Georgia
Fruit ends · “October” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) · Carolinas and Georgia
Light · “Partial shade; Full sun (documented habitat)” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) · Carolinas and Georgia
Soil · “Dry; Moist; Wet (documented habitat)” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) · Carolinas and Georgia

Also known as

Crotalaria brevidens; Crotalaria intermedia

Conservation status

Alabama rank	SNA
Global rank	GNR
AL status	Not verified
Federal status	Not verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

Native alternatives

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