About Crotalaria longirostrata Hook. & Arn.
Chipilín, the common name for Crotalaria longirostrata Hook. & Arn., has leaves that are widely used as a leafy vegetable in local cuisines of southern Mexico—including the states of Chiapas, Oaxaca, and Tabasco—and Central America, especially El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala. Its leaves are high in iron, calcium, magnesium, and beta carotene. Chipilín leaves can be prepared in several ways: boiled and served while green, dried for use as an herb, or added to tamale doughs to add both color and flavor. When the plant’s pods dry, they dehisce, or split open, and spread the plant’s seeds across a wide area. This seed dispersal trait, paired with the fact that animals do not eat the plant, has given chipilín a reputation as an invasive plant. In the continental United States, chipilín is officially classified as a noxious weed; this classification may stem from the toxicity of other Crotalaria genus members to cattle. Australia bans the importation of any chipilín seeds or plants. Introduced populations of chipilín are established on the Hawaiian island of Maui.
