Galactia fasciculata
Galactia mollis
large trailing milkpea
soft milkpea
climbing-twining, strongly lignescent, loosely strigose, hairs loosely appressed, retrorse.
procumbent and trailing at least proximally, often weakly climbing-twining distally, hirsute to villous-hirsute, hairs spreading to slightly upcurved or slightly to strongly deflexed.
3, blades elliptic, broadly elliptic, or suborbiculate, (12–)25–45(–64) × 10–30(–39) mm, leathery, veins not raised, apex rounded to obtuse, sometimes retuse, surfaces short-strigulose and lighter abaxially, glabrous and darker adaxially.
3, blades narrowly to broadly oblong to elliptic-oblong, elliptic, or ovate, (20–)25–50 × 10–30 mm, herbaceous, veins not raised, apex rounded to obtuse, surfaces loosely strigose to pilose or villous.
flowers (3–)6–25, fasciculate in pseudoracemes along distal 1/2–3/4 of rachis;
axis (10–)30–160 mm.
flowers 6–10, usually on distal 1/4–1/2 of axis, often in fascicles;
axis (3–)5–15(–20) mm.
calyx 6–7 mm, sparsely minutely strigose to glabrate;
corolla lavender or purplish to pinkish, 11–14(–15) mm.
calyx 5–8 mm, densely villous, lobes brown to reddish brown on inner surface when dry;
corolla persisting after anthesis, sometimes still present in mature fruit, purplish pink to red or rose-purple, distinctly dark reddish when dry, 7–10 mm.
straight, 30–60 × 4–6 mm, densely short-strigose to strigose-sericeous, hairs loosely appressed.
straight, 25–35 × 4–5 mm, loosely densely strigose-sericeous to villous-sericeous.
5–9.
7–12.
Galactia fasciculata
Galactia mollis
Galactia fasciculata, which is widespread in central peninsular Florida, is distinguished by lignescent, twining and high-climbing stems with densely and loosely retrorse-strigose vestiture, coriaceous leaves dark and glossy adaxially, and short inflorescences with relatively large, densely clustered flowers. It has sometimes been identified as G. floridana; the latter is distinct from G. fasciculata in its prostrate habit, persistently hairy adaxial leaf surfaces, elongate inflorescences with distally positioned flowers, and villous calyces.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Galactia mollis is known from northern peninsular Florida and from scattered counties in the other adjacent states in the flora area.
Galactia mollis is distinctive and rarely misidentified; it is characterized especially by its procumbent habit, hirsute stems, and red, relatively small corollas.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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