Galactia smallii
Galactia pinetorum
Small's milkpea
pineland milkpea
procumbent, distally twining, densely to sparsely hirsute-villous to hirsute, hairs loosely retrorsely spreading or antrorsely spreading-ascending.
procumbent, not twining, herbaceous, minutely and sparsely strigulose, hairs usually retrorse, rarely antrorse.
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 linear-oblong or narrowly oblong to narrowly lanceolate, narrowly elliptic-lanceolate, or linear-elliptic, 20–55 × 2–8(–11) mm, leathery, veins prominently raised on both surfaces, apex rounded to obtuse, surfaces glabrate to sparsely strigulose abaxially, sometimes glaucous, glabrous adaxially.
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(–10) in reduced pseudoracemes, usually on distal 1/4–1/2 of axis;
axis 30–150 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 5–9 mm, strigulose, lobes greenish yellow to tan on inner surface when dry;
corolla not persisting after anthesis, blue to purple or purplish or pink-purple, lighter when dry, 11–15 mm.
straight, 25–50 × 5 mm, densely strigose, sometimes white-glaucous.
straight, 25–50 × 4 mm, densely strigose to strigulose, hairs minute.
7–11.
5–7.
Galactia smallii
Galactia pinetorum
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.)
Galactia pinetorum is distinctive in its prostrate (non-twining) stems usually with retrorse hairs, very narrow leaflets with raised venation, and relatively large flowers. Stems of Moldenke collections have antrorsely oriented hairs; this variation is analogous to that seen also in G. brachypoda, G. joselyniae, G. microphylla, and G. smallii. Galactia pinetorum is known only from Brevard, Miami-Dade, and Monroe counties. The other linear-leaflet species of southern Florida, G. grisebachii, has twining stems with consistently antrorse hairs, leaflets without prominently raised venation, and smaller flowers.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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