Stems are erect, branched and can get to 6ft in height. Leaflets are egg-shaped pinnately compound.  Unfortunately, it is not a welcome perennial plant anywhere near cattle or hay pastures. This plant is very toxic to livestock, cow, horse and goats. Fatal, it causes liver damage that results in death. Animals do not usually choose to graze most poisonous plants when food is a plenty; however, when quality forage is limited due to poor growing conditions or overstocking, they may graze these plants. It is important to be able to identify the poisonous plants to keep up with best management practices whether in our lawns, roadsides or open pastures. Poisonous plants (e.g., Crotalaria, black nightshade, spiny pigweed, lantana, etc.) are commonly found throughout Florida and we should as good stewards be able to recognize them.

Crotalaria actively grows in spring, summer and fall, with many seed pods ripening in summer and fall. When ripe, the name rattlebox came from the shaking of the seed pods. The plant is a legume, meaning it fixes nitrogen from atmosphere and puts nitrogen back into the soil. In one sense it’s good, but in the right place. It can tolerate poor soils and drought conditions and with so many seed in each pod, the plant can spread rapidly by birds and other critters, which is why it is listed on the UF IFAS invasive species list assessment as ‘Caution’. Learn more at link:  https://assessment.ifas.ufl.edu/assessments/crotalaria-spectabilis/ Also check out the UF publication, ‘Weed Management in Pastures and Rangeland’ # SSAGR-08 at link: https://doi.org/10.32473/edis-wg006-2022. Several suggestions for controls are recommended. More information or questions on toxic or other plants, contact Lisa Strange, lstrange@ufl.edu

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