Rattlepods Shake And Roll In The UAE

One of the rarest plants in the UAE is the devil bean, also known as the rattlebox or rattlepod, and botanically known as Crotalaria retusa.

Its common name, rattlepod, comes from the rattling sound produced by the seeds, which get loosened inside the pod and rattle in the wind.

Rattlepod is generally cultivated in the subcontinent as fodder and, being a leguminous plant, it fixes nitrogen to the soil. Once the seeds are ripe, the plants are composted into the field, adding extra green manure.

Rattlepod is native to Asia and parts of Africa.

However, the ornamental beauty of its flowers and its nitrogen-fixing properties caused it to be introduced in many parts of the world, including the US.

In the UAE it is partial to the farming areas in the Hajar mountains.

During my last decade of fieldwork in these mountains I have only come across it once.

If you are hiking towards the dam above Hatta village, by the Hatta Water Bottling Plant you might come across this plant at the edge of a very old farm with lots of date palm trees. It’s possibly an escaped specimen and must have been transported accidentally along with other farm produce imported into this area.

Rattlepod is a woody herb – or it might even be considered an under-shrub – with a strong base and branching.