Galactia wrightii
Galactia grisebachii
Wright's milkpea
Grisebach's milkpea
procumbent proximally, weakly twining distally, strongly lignescent, densely to sparsely strigose, hairs retrorsely appressed to slightly spreading.
climbing-twining, fili-form, herbaceous, sparsely and minutely strigose, hairs antrorse.
3, blades oblong-elliptic to elliptic-ovate, 15–48 × 5–18 mm, herbaceous, veins not raised, apex rounded to obtuse or shallowly retuse, surfaces moderately to densely strigose-sericeous and glaucous abaxially, sparsely to densely short-strigose-sericeous with closely appressed hairs to pubescent with soft, spreading-erect hairs, sometimes strigose to glabrous, adaxially.
3, blades linear-oblong to narrowly oblong or narrowly elliptic, (10–)15–40 × 2–4(–6) mm, herbaceous, veins not raised, apex rounded to obtuse, surfaces weakly glaucous and sparsely minutely strigose abaxially, sparsely strigose or glabrous adaxially.
flowers (2–)5–18(–30) in pseudoracemes, usually in fascicles, axis rarely 10 mm and 2- or 3-flowered;
axis (10–)35–200(–250) mm.
flowers solitary and axillary or 2–5(–10) in reduced pseudoracemes;
axis 10–40(–130) mm.
calyx 5–7 mm, loosely short-strigose to hirsute-pubescent, lobes greenish yellow to tan on inner surface when dry;
corolla not persisting after anthesis, pink to purple-rose to lavender, lighter when dry, 11–12 mm.
calyx 5–6 mm, strigose;
corolla pink to blue, purple, or lavender, 7–9 mm.
straight, 25–50 × 4–5 mm, moderately to densely strigose to strigose-sericeous.
straight, (20–)25–45 × 3–5 mm, sparsely strigose.
(3–)5–9.
(3–)8–10.
Galactia wrightii
Galactia grisebachii
Galactia wrightii is characterized by twining stems, mostly oblong-elliptic leaflets with glaucous abaxial surfaces, relatively long inflorescences with numerous flowers and relatively large corollas, and strigose-sericeous fruits. The type of var. mollissima is a plant with vestiture more spreading than normal; such variants are scattered through the range in Arizona, as cited by Kearney and Peebles, as well as in Texas.
Plants in southwestern New Mexico and southeastern Arizona (especially the Huachuca Mountains but not the Chiricahua Mountains) tend to have reduced vestiture; the leaves are sometimes completely glabrous. Such plants extend southward in Mexico along the Chihuahua-Sonora border region. Intermediates are numerous, especially in Arizona, and no distinct boundary seems evident. In Texas, G. wrightii is known from four counties of the trans-Pecos and Big Bend regions.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Galactia grisebachii is characterized by its twining habit, uniformly linear to linear-oblong leaflets sparsely strigose or glabrous adaxially, weakly glaucous and sparsely minutely strigose abaxially, and flowers solitary and axillary or 2–5(–10) in reduced pseudoracemes. In the flora area, this species is known only from Lee, Miami-Dade, and Monroe counties. These plants have previously been identified by the misapplied name G. parvifolia A. Richard, a different species (G. L. Nesom 2015).
A. R. Franck (2017) observed that plants matching the lectotype of Galactia grisebachii (from Cuba) are restricted to the West Indies and regarded the Florida plants as G. austrofloridensis A. R. Franck, distinguishing them by: long inflorescences often exserted beyond the leaves, 1–9 flowers (versus short inflorescences of G. grisebachii rarely exserted beyond the leaves, with 1–5 flowers); and conspicuously raised-reticulate venation adaxially (versus leaflets without raised-reticulate venation in G. grisebachii). The hypothesis by Franck may prove to be correct, but inflorescence axis length and number of flowers in the Florida plants are variable and overlap with the West Indian plants, and the putative distinction in venation remains to be clearly documented and affirmed.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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