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hoary milkpea

pineland milkpea

Habit Herbs from slender, elongate woody taproot, usually producing filiform rhizomes at nodes, these producing subterranean flowers and 1-seeded fruits. Herbs from a woody, elongate, cylindric to fusiform or obfusiform taproot.
Stems

procumbent, not twining, proximally lignescent, moderately strigose, hairs loosely appressed, retrorse.

procumbent, not twining, herbaceous, minutely and sparsely strigulose, hairs usually retrorse, rarely antrorse.

Leaflets

3, blades broadly oblong to oblong-obovate, oblong-elliptic, or suborbiculate, 11–35(–42) × 8–30(–35) mm, herbaceous, veins not raised, apex rounded to flat or shallowly retuse, surfaces blue-green glaucous and densely strigose abaxially, sparsely strigose adaxially with closely appressed hairs.

3, blades linear-oblong or narrowly oblong to narrowly lanceolate, narrowly elliptic-lanceolate, or linear-elliptic, 20–55 × 2–8(–11) mm, leathery, veins prominently raised on both surfaces, apex rounded to obtuse, surfaces glabrate to sparsely strigulose abaxially, sometimes glaucous, glabrous adaxially.

Inflorescences

flowers 5–8 in pseudoracemes;

axis 60–120 mm.

flowers solitary and axillary or 2–8(–10) in reduced pseudoracemes, usually on distal 1/4–1/2 of axis;

axis 30–150 mm.

Flowers

calyx 5–8 mm, hirsute to strigose-hirsute;

corolla pink to pink-red or light purple, 9–11 mm.

calyx 5–9 mm, strigulose, lobes greenish yellow to tan on inner surface when dry;

corolla not persisting after anthesis, blue to purple or purplish or pink-purple, lighter when dry, 11–15 mm.

Legumes

straight or slightly curved, 30–50 × 6–9 mm, densely strigose-sericeous.

straight, 25–50 × 4 mm, densely strigose to strigulose, hairs minute.

Seeds

1–5.

5–7.

Galactia canescens

Galactia pinetorum

Phenology Flowering Apr–Oct. Flowering year-round.
Habitat Sandy prairies, dunes, sand mounds, sandy roadsides, disturbed sites, sandy loam, alluvial sands. Disturbed sites, among pal­mettos, dry sands.
Elevation 0–200 m. (0–700 ft.) 0–30 m. (0–100 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
TX; Mexico (Tamaulipas)
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
FL
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Galactia canescens is characterized by its prostrate, strigose stems rooting at the nodes, slender rhizomes often bearing subterranean flowers and fruits, and broadly oblong to suborbiculate leaflets with glaucous and densely strigose abaxial surfaces. It is found in more than 20 counties in Texas.

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

Galactia pinetorum is distinctive in its prostrate (non-twining) stems usually with retrorse hairs, very narrow leaflets with raised venation, and relatively large flowers. Stems of Moldenke collections have antrorsely oriented hairs; this variation is analogous to that seen also in G. brachypoda, G. joselyniae, G. microphylla, and G. smallii. Galactia pinetorum is known only from Brevard, Miami-Dade, and Monroe counties. The other linear-leaflet species of southern Florida, G. grisebachii, has twining stems with consistently antrorse hairs, leaflets without prominently raised venation, and smaller flowers.

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

Source FNA vol. 11. FNA vol. 11.
Parent taxa Fabaceae > subfam. Faboideae > Galactia Fabaceae > subfam. Faboideae > Galactia
Sibling taxa
G. brachypoda, G. elliottii, G. erecta, G. fasciculata, G. floridana, G. grisebachii, G. heterophylla, G. joselyniae, G. longifolia, G. marginalis, G. microphylla, G. minor, G. mollis, G. pinetorum, G. regularis, G. smallii, G. striata, G. texana, G. volubilis, G. wrightii
G. brachypoda, G. canescens, G. elliottii, G. erecta, G. fasciculata, G. floridana, G. grisebachii, G. heterophylla, G. joselyniae, G. longifolia, G. marginalis, G. microphylla, G. minor, G. mollis, G. regularis, G. smallii, G. striata, G. texana, G. volubilis, G. wrightii
Synonyms Heterocarpaea texana
Name authority Bentham: Comm. Legum. Gen., 62. (1837) Small: Fl. Miami, 93, 200. (1913)
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