Galactia wrightii
Galactia texana
Wright's milkpea
Texas milkpea
procumbent proximally, weakly twining distally, strongly lignescent, densely to sparsely strigose, hairs retrorsely appressed to slightly spreading.
climbing-twining, proximally lignescent, hirsute-strigose to strigose, hairs loosely appressed, retrorse.
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 broadly elliptic or oblong-elliptic, (15–)20–42 × 10–25(–32) mm, herbaceous, veins raised or not on both surfaces, apex obtuse to rounded or shallowly retuse, surfaces not glaucous, sparsely strigose with closely appressed hairs to softly hirsute with ascending hairs abaxially, glabrous to sparsely strigose 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 in reduced pseudoracemes;
axis 1–4(–40) 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 mm, loosely strigose to hirsute-strigose or hirsute;
corolla pink, rose, reddish, or purple-cream, 8–11 mm.
straight, 25–50 × 4–5 mm, moderately to densely strigose to strigose-sericeous.
falcate, 30–60 × 4–6 mm, sparsely minutely strigulose, hairs closely appressed.
(3–)5–9.
(3–)6–10.
Galactia wrightii
Galactia texana
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.)
In Texas, Galactia texana is known from east-central counties southwestward to the Big Bend region.
Galactia texana is characterized by its twining stems, relatively short, few-flowered inflorescences, and falcate fruits.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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