Crotalaria nitens

Native from Mexico to southern tropical South America, this plant is an upright herb or small shrub reaching about six feet tall. Its stems and leaves have soft, velvety hairs. Each short leaf stalk carries a single elongated or oval blade with smooth margins and a narrowed base. Clusters of yellow pea-shaped flowers rise above the foliage; the broad banner petal can have wine-colored markings, and the keel ends in a twisted tip. Inflated pods mature to dark brown or black and contain smooth, shiny seeds that rattle when the pods are dry. The species occurs in pastures, scrub and along roadsides. Photographed in Colombia.