Galactia grisebachii
Galactia heterophylla
Grisebach's milkpea
Gray's milkpea
climbing-twining, fili-form, herbaceous, sparsely and minutely strigose, hairs antrorse.
procumbent, not twining, densely strigose, hairs closely appressed, retrorse.
3, blades linear-oblong to narrowly oblong or narrowly elliptic, (10–)15–40 × 2–4(–6) mm, herbaceous, veins not raised, apex rounded to obtuse, surfaces weakly glaucous and sparsely minutely strigose abaxially, sparsely strigose or glabrous adaxially.
5, blades elliptic or broadly elliptic to elliptic-obovate or oblong-elliptic, 6–24 × 2–12 mm, herbaceous, veins not raised, margins strigose, apex obtuse to rounded or shallowly retuse, surfaces smooth-glaucous abaxially and moderately strigose, hairs closely appressed, usually glabrous adaxially, rarely sparsely strigose.
flowers solitary and axillary or 2–5(–10) in reduced pseudoracemes;
axis 10–40(–130) mm.
flowers solitary and axillary or 2–5 in reduced pseudoracemes;
axis 1–10 mm.
calyx 5–6 mm, strigose;
corolla pink to blue, purple, or lavender, 7–9 mm.
calyx 7–9 mm, short-strigose with closely appressed hairs;
corolla pink, deep pink, cerise, rose-purple, lavender, purple, violet-red, 11–15 mm.
straight, (20–)25–45 × 3–5 mm, sparsely strigose.
straight, (20–)30–45 × 5–7 mm, moderately strigose, hairs closely appressed.
(3–)8–10.
3–5.
Galactia grisebachii
Galactia heterophylla
Galactia grisebachii is characterized by its twining habit, uniformly linear to linear-oblong leaflets sparsely strigose or glabrous adaxially, weakly glaucous and sparsely minutely strigose abaxially, and flowers solitary and axillary or 2–5(–10) in reduced pseudoracemes. In the flora area, this species is known only from Lee, Miami-Dade, and Monroe counties. These plants have previously been identified by the misapplied name G. parvifolia A. Richard, a different species (G. L. Nesom 2015).
A. R. Franck (2017) observed that plants matching the lectotype of Galactia grisebachii (from Cuba) are restricted to the West Indies and regarded the Florida plants as G. austrofloridensis A. R. Franck, distinguishing them by: long inflorescences often exserted beyond the leaves, 1–9 flowers (versus short inflorescences of G. grisebachii rarely exserted beyond the leaves, with 1–5 flowers); and conspicuously raised-reticulate venation adaxially (versus leaflets without raised-reticulate venation in G. grisebachii). The hypothesis by Franck may prove to be correct, but inflorescence axis length and number of flowers in the Florida plants are variable and overlap with the West Indian plants, and the putative distinction in venation remains to be clearly documented and affirmed.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Galactia heterophylla is characterized by its prostrate, non-twining stems and particularly by its five leaflets with glabrous adaxial surfaces. It occurs in about 15 counties in central and south-central Texas.
Galactia grayi Vail is an illegitimate, superfluous name that pertains here.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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