Crotalaria is a genus of herbaceous plants and woody shrubs in the Family Fabaceae (Subfamily Faboideae) commonly known as rattlepods. Some 600 or more species of Crotalaria are described worldwide, mostly from the tropics; at least 500 species are known from Africa. Some species of Crotalaria are grown as ornamentals. The common name rattlepod or rattlebox is derived from the fact that the seeds become loose in the pod as they mature, and rattle when the pod is shaken. The name derives from the Greek , meaning “castanet”, and is the same root as the name for the rattlesnakes (Crotalus).

Crotalaria monteiroi var galpinii commonly known as Small-Leaved Rattle-Pod is a South African indigenous species found in the Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo and Mpumalanga Provinces. It grows into a 1 meter tall hairy branched shrub with three-foliate longish leaves which are hairy below. During summer it bears racemes of yellow flowers marked with orange/brown.