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Crotalaria purshii DC.
Pursh's Rattlebox
Coastal Plain Rattlebox
Florida native
An occasional wildflower of sandhils and flatwoods in north Florida as far south as Lake County.
Pursh's rattlebox has yellow flowers that are 0.7 to 1.4cm (1/4 to 1/2 in.) long and single leaves that are glabrous on the upper surface.
The species is named for botanist Frederick Pursh (1774-1820). Pursh was born in Saxony, educated at the Dresden Botanical Gardens and emigrated to the United States in 1799. He worked in Philadelphia as the botanical manager at The Woodlands and contibuted to studies of the plants collected during the Lewis and Clark Expedition. In his later years he moved to Canada and botanized in Quebec.
Crotalaria purshii is a member of the Fabaceae - Pea family.
Other species of the Crotalaria genus in the Wild Florida Photo database:
Crotalaria lanceolata - LANCELEAF RATTLEBOX
Crotalaria ochroleuca - SLENDERLEAF RATTLEBOX
Crotalaria pallida var. obovata - SMOOTH RATTLEBOX
Crotalaria rotundifolia - RABBIT-BELLS
Crotalaria spectabilis - SHOWY RATTLEBOX
Atlas of Florida Vascular Plants (Institute for Systemic Botany) profile for this species
iNaturalist profile for this species
USDA Plant Profile for this species
Date record last modified: Dec 10, 2023
