Galactia wrightii
Galactia mollis
Wright's milkpea
soft milkpea
procumbent proximally, weakly twining distally, strongly lignescent, densely to sparsely strigose, hairs retrorsely appressed to slightly spreading.
procumbent and trailing at least proximally, often weakly climbing-twining distally, hirsute to villous-hirsute, hairs spreading to slightly upcurved or slightly to strongly deflexed.
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 narrowly to broadly oblong to elliptic-oblong, elliptic, or ovate, (20–)25–50 × 10–30 mm, herbaceous, veins not raised, apex rounded to obtuse, surfaces loosely strigose to pilose or villous.
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 6–10, usually on distal 1/4–1/2 of axis, often in fascicles;
axis (3–)5–15(–20) 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 5–8 mm, densely villous, lobes brown to reddish brown on inner surface when dry;
corolla persisting after anthesis, sometimes still present in mature fruit, purplish pink to red or rose-purple, distinctly dark reddish when dry, 7–10 mm.
straight, 25–50 × 4–5 mm, moderately to densely strigose to strigose-sericeous.
straight, 25–35 × 4–5 mm, loosely densely strigose-sericeous to villous-sericeous.
(3–)5–9.
7–12.
Galactia wrightii
Galactia mollis
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 mollis is known from northern peninsular Florida and from scattered counties in the other adjacent states in the flora area.
Galactia mollis is distinctive and rarely misidentified; it is characterized especially by its procumbent habit, hirsute stems, and red, relatively small corollas.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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