Galactia joselyniae
Galactia marginalis
joselyn's milkpea
edible milkpea
procumbent, sometimes weakly twining distally, herbaceous or proximally lignescent, loosely strigose, hairs antrorse or retrorse.
procumbent, not twining, lignescent, sparsely to moderately short-strigose, hairs retrorse.
3(rarely 5), blades usually broadly oblong-elliptic to suborbiculate, sometimes broadly oblong to broadly oblong-oblanceolate, (9–)11–29(–37) × 6–24(–34) mm, herbaceous, veins strongly raised on abaxial surface but not adaxially, apex rounded to truncate or retuse, surfaces light green to glaucous (beneath vestiture), densely hirsute-strigose to loosely strigose-sericeous, sometimes more densely so along abaxial veins.
1, blade narrowly elliptic to narrowly lanceolate, 25–85 × 4–10(–16) mm, leathery, veins closely reticulate and strongly raised, thickened marginal vein completely encircling entire margin, apex rounded to obtuse, surfaces not glaucous abaxially, glabrous throughout.
flowers solitary and axillary or 2–8 in pseudoracemes, not fasciculate;
axis (10–)40–130(–150) mm.
flowers solitary, axillary;
axis 3–8 mm.
calyx 4–5 mm, loosely strigose, lobes greenish yellow to tan on inner surface when dry;
corolla not persisting after anthesis, pink to rose-pink, dull blue-purple when dry, 6–8 mm.
calyx 5–6 mm, short-strigose;
corolla pink to purple, purple-red, or deep lavender, 13–15 mm.
straight, 25–40 × 4–6 mm, sparsely strigose, hairs filiform.
straight, 25–35 × 5–7 mm, short-strigose, hairs closely appressed.
(4 or)5 or 6.
(5–)7–9.
Galactia joselyniae
Galactia marginalis
Galactia joselyniae is similar to G. wrightii in its mostly trailing stems and densely hairy leaves but different in its cauline vestiture with hairs either antrorse or retrorse, smaller, broadly oblong to suborbiculate leaves, and smaller and fewer flowers. It is known from Texas populations in Brewster County (Dead Horse Mountains, near the Rio Grande within side drainages of Boquillas Canyon) and Jeff Davis County (Wild Rose Pass) and from one collection in central Coahuila about 300 km south of the Brewster County sites. Plants in Brewster County have loosely strigose stems with antrorse hairs; those in Jeff Davis County and in Coahuila have strigose stems with retrorse hairs.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Galactia marginalis is characterized by prostrate stems, glabrous, 1-foliolate leaves with closely reticulate, raised venation and a completely encircling marginal vein, and relatively large, solitary, axillary flowers. The species is known from at least 14 counties, mostly on the Coastal Plain of southeastern Texas.
A. Burkart (1971) described Galactia marginalis var. columbiana Burkart based on a specimen from Cundinamarca, Colombia, that was thought to represent an intermediary between the population of G. marginalis in southeastern Texas and in southern South America. The Colombia collection has subsequently been identified as G. glaucescens Kunth.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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