Galactia wrightii
Galactia smallii
Wright's milkpea
Small's milkpea
procumbent proximally, weakly twining distally, strongly lignescent, densely to sparsely strigose, hairs retrorsely appressed to slightly spreading.
procumbent, distally twining, densely to sparsely hirsute-villous to hirsute, hairs loosely retrorsely spreading or antrorsely spreading-ascending.
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 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.
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 2–6 in reduced pseudoracemes on distal 1/8–1/4 of axis;
axis (5–)20–60(–90) 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 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.
straight, 25–50 × 4–5 mm, moderately to densely strigose to strigose-sericeous.
straight, 25–50 × 5 mm, densely strigose, sometimes white-glaucous.
(3–)5–9.
7–11.
Galactia wrightii
Galactia smallii
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 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.)
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist
USDA Plants Database
