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Virginia jointvetch

Habit Herbs, annual, not darkening on drying.
Stems

erect, to 3 m, glabrous or glandular-hispid, hairs bulbous-based.

Leaves

5–12 cm;

stipules peltate, 10 × 2–3 mm, apex acute;

leaflets (25–)30–55, blades 1-veined, nearly symmetric, oblong, 8–20 × 4–5 mm, margins usually entire, rarely with scattered, tuberculate hairs, apex obtuse, surfaces glabrous.

Inflorescences

1–5-flowered, racemes, axis hispid.

Flowers

calyx 5–8 mm, bilabiate, abaxial lip 3-dentate, adaxial lip shallowly 2-lobed, glabrous;

corolla yellowish, usually with reddish markings, 10–15 mm, banner glabrous, margins sparsely ciliate;

gynophore (10–)12–25 mm, continuous with proximal segment, glabrous or somewhat hispid.

Seeds

brown, 4.5–6 × 3 mm.

Loments

abaxial margin crenate, adaxial margin ± straight, sutures between segments well developed, margins not separating from valves;

segments 3–10, subquadrate, 4.5–7 × 4.5–7 mm, reticulate venation moderately conspicuous, center of each usually verrucose, faces sparsely hispid or glabrescent, hairs eglandular, sometimes bulbous-based.

2n

= 40.

Aeschynomene virginica

Phenology Flowering Jul–Oct.
Habitat Brackish tidal shores of rivers, locally in wet fields and ditches.
Elevation 0–50 m. (0–200 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
DE; MD; NC; NJ; PA; VA
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Aeschynomene virginica has been the subject of studies of population structure (J. P. Carulli and D. E. Fairbrothers 1988), life history traits (A. B. Griffith and I. N. Forseth 2005), and seed germination and dispersal (J. M. Baskin et al. 1998, 2005; Griffith and Forseth 2002, 2003). It is in the Center for Plant Conservation’s National Collection of Endangered Plants.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 11.
Parent taxa Fabaceae > subfam. Faboideae > Aeschynomene
Sibling taxa
A. americana, A. fluitans, A. histrix, A. indica, A. pratensis, A. rudis, A. villosa, A. viscidula
Synonyms Hedysarum virginicum, A. hispida
Name authority (Linnaeus) Britton: Sterns & Poggenburg, Prelim. Cat., 13. (1888)
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