[ noun ] any of various plants of the genus Crotalaria having inflated pods within which the seeds rattle; used for pasture and green-manure crops <noun.plant>
Rattlebox \Rat"tle*box`\ (r[a^]t"t'l*b[o^]ks`), n. 1. A toy that makes a rattling sound; a rattle.
2. (Bot.) (a) An American herb ({Crotalaria sagittalis}), the seeds of which, when ripe, rattle in the inflated pod. (b) Any species of {Crotalaria}, a genus of yellow-flowered herbs, with inflated, many-seeded pods.
Crotalaria \Crot`a*la"ri*a\ (kr?t`?-l?"r?-? or kr?`t?-l?"r?-A), n. [NL. See {Crotalum}.] (Bot.) A genus of leguminous plants; rattlebox.
Note: {Crotalaria juncea} furnishes the fiber called sunn or Bombay hemp.