Galactia minor
Galactia smallii
Duncan's milkpea
Small's milkpea
procumbent or trailing, not twining, densely short-strigose, hairs closely antrorse-appressed, hairs 0.1–0.3 mm;
internodes usually shorter, sometimes longer, than largest leaflet of adjacent node.
procumbent, distally twining, densely to sparsely hirsute-villous to hirsute, hairs loosely retrorsely spreading or antrorsely spreading-ascending.
3, blades elliptic, oblanceolate-elliptic, or oblong-elliptic, (7–)9–25(–30) × (4–)7–10(–18) mm, ± leathery, veins raised on both surfaces, apex rounded to slightly retuse, rarely acute, surfaces sparsely strigose abaxially and lighter colored but not glaucous, glabrous adaxially.
3, blades broadly elliptic to broadly elliptic-oblong or suborbiculate, 8–25 × 6–20 mm, herbaceous, veins not raised, apex rounded or usually shallowly retuse, surfaces villous-hirsute, with ascending hairs or adaxially minutely hirsute.
flowers solitary and axillary or 2–4 in reduced pseudoracemes;
axis (5–)10–20(–35) mm.
flowers solitary and axillary or 2–6 in reduced pseudoracemes on distal 1/8–1/4 of axis;
axis (5–)20–60(–90) mm.
calyx 7–10 mm, strigose, lobes greenish yellow to tan on inner surface when dry;
corolla not persisting after anthesis, pink, lighter when dry, 11–17 mm.
calyx 6–7 mm, strigose to hirsute, lobes greenish yellow to tan on inner surface when dry;
corolla not persisting after anthesis, lavender-pink to purple, lighter when dry, 10–15 mm.
straight, 25–45 × 4–5 mm, strigose.
straight, 25–50 × 5 mm, densely strigose, sometimes white-glaucous.
3–8.
7–11.
Galactia minor
Galactia smallii
Galactia minor is known from the Florida panhandle and southern Mississippi and from scattered counties in the other named states.
Galactia minor is distinguished by procumbent, antrorsely strigulose stems, relatively small, congested leaves with glabrous adaxial surfaces and raised venation, few flowers on a short inflorescence axis, and relatively large corollas.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Galactia smallii is endemic to rocky habitats in Miami-Dade County and is recognized by its prostrate habit with stems distally twining, stems and leaves variably spreading-hairy to strigose (antrorse or retrorse), and relatively large flowers, which often appear abundantly after fires. The lectotype (Small 8633, NY) has spreading cauline vestiture (though strongly glabrescent and not evident on portions of the stems). Other collections from the Miami-Dade County rocklands essentially identical otherwise in morphology have either spreading hairs or retrorse or antrorse hairs, and it appears that all of these plants should be considered as a single population system with variable vestiture. Other species apparently with variable orientation of vestiture are G. brachypoda, G. joselyniae, G. microphylla, and G. pinetorum.
Galactia smallii is in the Center for Plant Conservation’s National Collection of Endangered Plants.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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