Galactia smallii
Galactia longifolia
Small's milkpea
longleaf milkpea
procumbent, distally twining, densely to sparsely hirsute-villous to hirsute, hairs loosely retrorsely spreading or antrorsely spreading-ascending.
climbing-twining, moderately strigose, hairs loosely appressed, retrorse.
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.
3, blades narrowly oblong to oblong-lanceolate, 25–75 × 6–14 mm, herbaceous, veins not raised, apex rounded to obtuse, surfaces moderately to densely minutely strigulose, with closely appressed hairs.
flowers solitary and axillary or 2–6 in reduced pseudoracemes on distal 1/8–1/4 of axis;
axis (5–)20–60(–90) mm.
flowers solitary and axillary or 2–8(–16) in pseudoracemes on distal 1/4 of axis, sometimes in fascicles;
axis 30–120(–280) 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.
calyx 5–6 mm, strigulose;
corolla lavender, 10–11 mm.
straight, 25–50 × 5 mm, densely strigose, sometimes white-glaucous.
straight, 35–65 × 4–6 mm, sparsely minutely strigulose, hairs closely appressed.
7–11.
12–15.
Galactia smallii
Galactia longifolia
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.)
In Texas, Galactia longifolia is known from a cluster of five coastal counties in the south: Aransas, Brazoria, Calhoun, Jackson, and Victoria. The irregularly scattered distribution of this species (Florida, Texas, Caribbean, French Guiana, and southern South America) suggests that it may not be monophyletic.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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