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Low Rattlebox

Crotalaria rotundifolia

In the Carolinas and Georgia, found in sandy forests and woodlands, roadsides. FloraQuest, phone app (app page) What its natural habitat tells you

56
Strong

Native to Virginia. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 71%

Light
Partial shade, Full sun
Soil moisture
Dry
Will it fit your yard?

At a glance

Life cycle
Perennial

Not yet recorded · Height · Spread · Leaves · Bloom

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

Recorded in 3 Virginia counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

1 of 2

Forests and woodlands

Forest or woodland where the source does not say how moist or dry.

Roadsides, fields and disturbed ground

Ground opened by people: roadsides, old fields, pastures, fencerows and lots.

All habitats

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Virginia. Shared habitat, not food. 79 animals.

All wildlife of Virginia

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

7CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including VA

Genus host records with ranges including VA · 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
  • 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)
14BeesSoutheastern regional records

Southeastern regional records · Crotalaria

Individual names are not available yet.

Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
0Specialist 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

2AntsRecorded seed interactions
  • Pogonomyrmex badius
  • Solenopsis invicta

Solenopsis invicta: Seed dispersal.

Pogonomyrmex badius: Seed predation.

No records yet · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Fabaceae
Flower color
Yellow

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

Growing sources and scope
Also known as

Crotalaria angulata

Conservation status

Virginia rankNot available
Global rankG5
VA statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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Sources