Showy Rattlebox

Crotalaria spectabilis

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

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Not native

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

Profile 82%

Height: About 5 feet
Light: Full sun
Soil moisture: Dry to moist

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Crotalaria spectabilis — flower photograph — (c) Celeste Ray, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY 4.0 · Original photograph

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At a glance

Life cycle: Annual or biennial
Bloom: Mid summer
Fruiting season: Summer to fall

Not yet recorded · Spread · Leaves

Recorded in 65 Florida 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

11CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including FL

Genus host records with ranges including FL · Crotalaria

Amyna strictaEight-Spot Moth
Gesta baptisiaeWild Indigo Duskywing, Baptisia Duskywing
Helicoverpa zeaCorn Earworm Moth
Hemiargus ceraunusCeraunus Blue, Antillean Blue
Leptotes cassiusCassius Blue, Tropical Striped Blue
Phoebis sennaeCloudless Sulphur
Selenisa sueroidesTailpipes, Pale-Edged Selenisa Moth
Spodoptera frugiperdaFall Armyworm Moth
Utetheisa ornatrixOrnate Moth, Pink Underwing, Rattlebox Moth, Bella Moth
Aproaerema crotolariella

Show all 11

Fundella argentina

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
Hardiness: Zones 9a–11b
Soil pH: Acidic to alkaline
Flower color: Yellow
Growth rate: Rapid
Growth habit: Single crown
Foliage color: Green
Fruit begins: Summer
Fruit ends: Fall

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

Growing sources and scope

Bloom · “Mid summer” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Flower color · “Yellow” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Foliage color · “Green” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Fruit begins · “Summer” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Fruit ends · “Fall” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Growth habit · “Single crown” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Growth rate · “Rapid” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Hardiness · “Zones 9a–11b” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Height · “About 5 feet” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Life cycle · “Annual or biennial” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Light · “Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
primary_flower_color · “yellow” · USDA PLANTS
Soil · “Dry; Moist (documented habitat)” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) · Carolinas and Georgia
Soil pH · “Acidic to alkaline” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox

Conservation status

Florida rank	SNA
Global rank	GNR
FL status	Not verified
Federal status	Not verified

Conservation source Global and federal source