Galactia wrightii
Galactia minor
Wright's milkpea
Duncan's milkpea
procumbent proximally, weakly twining distally, strongly lignescent, densely to sparsely strigose, hairs retrorsely appressed to slightly spreading.
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.
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 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.
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 2–4 in reduced pseudoracemes;
axis (5–)10–20(–35) 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 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.
straight, 25–50 × 4–5 mm, moderately to densely strigose to strigose-sericeous.
straight, 25–45 × 4–5 mm, strigose.
(3–)5–9.
3–8.
Galactia wrightii
Galactia minor
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 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.)
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