Galactia microphylla
Galactia marginalis
littleleaf milkpea
edible milkpea
procumbent, not twining, herbaceous to lignescent, hirsute-villous, hairs irregularly to strongly deflexed, rarely nearly appressed-retrorse.
procumbent, not twining, lignescent, sparsely to moderately short-strigose, hairs retrorse.
3, blades elliptic, 10–30 × 5–16 mm, herbaceous, veins not raised, apex rounded to obtuse, surfaces glossy, glaucous, and sparsely short-strigose abaxially with appressed to ascending hairs, strigose to glabrescent or glabrate adaxially.
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 2–6 in reduced pseudoracemes;
axis 10–20 mm.
flowers solitary, axillary;
axis 3–8 mm.
calyx 3–4 mm, closely strigulose, lobes greenish yellow to tan on inner surface when dry;
corolla not persisting after anthesis, light purple, lighter when dry, 6–7 mm.
calyx 5–6 mm, short-strigose;
corolla pink to purple, purple-red, or deep lavender, 13–15 mm.
straight, 25–45 × 4–5 mm, short-hirsute, hairs spreading.
straight, 25–35 × 5–7 mm, short-strigose, hairs closely appressed.
3–8.
(5–)7–9.
Galactia microphylla
Galactia marginalis
Galactia microphylla is characterized by its prostrate habit, hirsute-villous stems, and relatively small leaves; it is known from the western Florida panhandle and adjacent Alabama. Compared to G. floridana, G. microphylla has shorter internodes, smaller and thinner leaves light green on both surfaces and glaucous beneath, shorter inflorescences with fewer flowers, and minutely and closely strigillose calyces.
(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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