Galactia wrightii
Galactia striata
Wright's milkpea
Florida hammock milkpea
procumbent proximally, weakly twining distally, strongly lignescent, densely to sparsely strigose, hairs retrorsely appressed to slightly spreading.
climbing-twining, often high-climbing, strongly lignescent, densely hirsute-pilose.
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 to lanceolate-elliptic, ovate-elliptic, or broadly elliptic, (20–)32–70 × 9–40(–50) mm, herbaceous, veins not raised, apex rounded to obtuse or subacute, surfaces hirsute, hairs erect to ascending.
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 10–20(–38) in pseudoracemes on distal 2/3–4/5 of axis, often fasciculate;
axis (70–)100–280 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 5–7 mm, strigose;
corolla lavender, bluish, pink-purple, purple, pink, banner striped with white lines, 8–11 mm.
straight, 25–50 × 4–5 mm, moderately to densely strigose to strigose-sericeous.
straight, 30–60 × 6–8 mm, loosely strigose.
(3–)5–9.
5–12.
Galactia wrightii
Galactia striata
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 striata is known from the southern half of Florida.
A. Burkart (1971) recognized three varieties within Galactia striata: var. striata and var. tenuiflora (Klein ex Willdenow) Burkart, both widespread and widely sympatric, and var. crassirachis Burkart, endemic to Argentina. At least seven other varieties have been recognized, as well as various synonyms at specific rank, and this variable complex needs study before evolutionary morpho-geographic patterns are clearly evident. Galactia tenuiflora Klein ex Willdenow is treated as a distinct species in many accounts and is widely distributed.
Galactia striata and G. spiciformis sometimes have both been recognized in Florida and in the West Indies; distinctions observed between them have varied. Most Florida botanists (as well as D. Isely 1998) have treated G. striata more broadly, treating G. spiciformis as a synonym.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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