Galactia volubilis
Galactia pinetorum
downy milkpea, mcree's milkpea
pineland milkpea
climbing-twining, herbaceous, usually sparsely to moderately strigose with tightly to loosely appressed, retrorse hairs, sometimes glabrate.
procumbent, not twining, herbaceous, minutely and sparsely strigulose, hairs usually retrorse, rarely antrorse.
3, blades oblong to narrowly elliptic or narrowly lanceolate-elliptic, (10–)12–40(–45) × 5–15(–17) mm, herbaceous, veins not raised, apex rounded to truncate or shallowly retuse, surfaces short-strigose abaxially, glabrous or sparsely strigose adaxially.
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(–10) in reduced pseudoracemes on distal 1/3–3/4 of axis, sometimes in fascicles;
axis (10–)20–90(–240) 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 6–8 mm, sparsely strigose to glabrate;
corolla pink to pink and purple, 9–14 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, (20–)25–52 × 3–4 mm, short-strigose.
straight, 25–50 × 4 mm, densely strigose to strigulose, hairs minute.
(5–)7–11.
5–7.
Galactia volubilis
Galactia pinetorum
Galactia volubilis is characterized by its slightly larger flowers, characteristically narrow oblong leaflets, and twining, thin, sparsely, antrorsely strigose to glabrate stems; it is distributed mostly on the coastal plain from North Carolina to Alabama; scattered localities are known westward to Texas.
Galactia volubilis and G. regularis appear to be mostly distinct in their area of sympatry (G. regularis has a wider geographic range); apparent intermediates are encountered. Flowering times coincide and there is at least some overlap in habitat, allowing opportunities for hybridization, but the relative stability of the two forms even where sympatric suggests that some kind of reproductive isolation is in effect, perhaps post-zygotic. The most prominent distinction between the two species is in leaf shape; leaves of G. volubilis also tend to be thinner and glaucous on the abaxial surface. Vestiture of G. volubilis is relatively sparse or surfaces may be glabrous or nearly so.
Galactia glabella Michaux is a superfluous and illegitimate name that pertains here.
(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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