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snoutbean

twining snoutbean

Habit Herbs, perennial, subshrubs, or vines, unarmed; from woody taproots. Herbs or subshrubs.
Stems

prostrate, procumbent, twining, ascending, or erect, pubescent or glabrous.

ascending or erect, tomentulose to hirtellous, hairs silvery to tawny.

Leaves

alternate, unifoliolate or trifoliolate;

stipules present, striate;

petiolate;

stipels deciduous;

leaflets 1 or 3, 0.5–2.5 mm, blade margins entire, surfaces gland-dotted abaxially, sometimes also adaxially, pubescent or glabrous.

usually trifoliolate, proximalmost sometimes unifoliolate;

stipules caducous or persistent, lanceolate to linear-lanceolate, 3–12 × 1.5–3.5 mm, apex acuminate;

petiole 5–35 mm, densely canescent-tomentose abaxially, villous adaxially;

leaflet blades oblong or ovate to rhombic-ovate, elliptic, or obovate, 20–50(–60) × 10–40(–50) mm, leathery, gland-dotted, base obtuse, subcordate, or broadly cuneate, apex acute, obtuse, or rounded, minutely apiculate, surfaces puberulent, strigulose, or villosulous.

Inflorescences

1–3-flowered, usually axillary, rarely terminal, usually racemes;

bracts present, striate.

racemes, shorter than leaves, axillary ones 1.5–4(–5) cm, terminal ones 6.5–23 cm.

Pedicels

1–3 mm.

Flowers

papilionaceous;

calyx campanulate with relatively long lobes, or tubulous-campanulate with relatively short lobes, lobes 5;

corolla yellow, yellow-orange, or green-yellow, often with purple or brown tinge or streaks, (4–)6–12(–14) mm;

stamens 10, diadelphous;

anthers dorsifixed.

calyx 6–9 mm, hirtellous, tube 1.5–2.5 mm, lobes narrowly lanceolate to linear-subulate, laterals 4.5–7.5 mm, lengths 3+ times tube, adaxials 2–2.5 mm;

corolla yellow or bright yellow;

banner orbiculate, 6–9 × 5–7 mm, emarginate, glabrous;

wings oblong, 6–8 × 1.5–2.5 mm, glabrous;

keel 5–7.5 × 2–2.5 mm, glabrous;

stamens 5.5–7.5 mm.

Fruits

legumes, sessile or subsessile, usually compressed, ovoid to ellipsoid, falcate, or acinaciform, beaked, dehiscent, gland-dotted, pubescent or glabrous.

Legumes

ovoid-oblong, compressed, 15–20 × 5–7 mm, hirtellous and puberulent, hairs intermixed.

Seeds

1 or 2, subglobose, ovoid to ellipsoid, or reniform.

brown, black, or mottled, subglobose, compressed, 3–4 × 3–4 mm.

x

= 11.

2n

= 22.

Rhynchosia

Rhynchosia tomentosa

Distribution
from USDA
United States; Mexico; Central America; South America; West Indies; Bermuda; Asia (Japan, South Korea); warm temperate and tropical areas
[BONAP county map]
from USDA
e United States; s United States
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Species ca. 200 (14 in the flora).

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Key
1. Leaves usually unifoliolate, distalmost rarely trifoliolate.
→ 2
2. Calyces 14–16 mm; wings oblong, 9–11 mm; stamens 9–10 mm; leaflet surfaces tomentose-woolly abaxially.
R. michauxii
2. Calyces 7–13 mm; wings narrowly oblong, 6.5–7.7 mm; stamens 6–8.5 mm; leaflet surfaces hirtellous or villosulous abaxially.
→ 3
3. Stems usually ascending or erect, rarely twining; calyces densely hirtellous and gland-dotted; banners 6.5–7 mm; keel petals 6.7–7 × 2–2.5 mm; stamens 6–7 mm.
R. reniformis
3. Stems procumbent, trailing, or twining; calyces villosulous; banners 8.5–10 mm; keel petals 8–9 × 3–3.5 mm; stamens 7.5–8.5 mm.
R. americana
1. Leaves usually trifoliolate, proximalmost sometimes unifoliolate.
→ 4
4. Calyces: lateral lobes 3+ times tubes.
→ 5
5. Inflorescences longer than leaves; leaflet surfaces villous abaxially; seeds brown- gray or mottled.
R. latifolia
5. Inflorescences shorter than leaves; leaflet surfaces puberulent, villosulous, hirtellous, strigulose, or strigose abaxially; seeds brown, black, or mottled.
→ 6
6. Stems ascending or erect; calyces: adaxial lobes 2–2.5 mm.
R. tomentosa
6. Stems usually prostrate or twining, rarely climbing or erect; calyces: adaxial lobes 3–5 mm.
→ 7
7. Petioles strigulose; stems prostrate, rarely climbing.
R. cinerea
7. Petioles hirsute; stems prostrate or twining.
R. difformis
4. Calyces: lateral lobes to 2.5 times tubes.
→ 8
8. Stem hairs yellowish; Santa Cruz County, Arizona.
R. edulis
8. Stem hairs silvery or grayish; Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, New Mexico, Texas.
→ 9
9. Stamens 3.5–7 mm.
→ 10
10. Legumes falcate to oblong-ovoid; seeds ovoid-reniform; wings puberulent apically.
R. minima
10. Legumes oblong or acinaciform; seeds reniform or subglobose; wings glabrous.
→ 11
11. Leaflets ± leathery, blades lanceolate-ovate, margins revolute; flowers solitary, 1(2 or 3)-clustered; inflorescences shorter than leaves.
R. texana
11. Leaflets membranous, blades ovate, margins flat; flowers in solitary racemes; inflorescences longer than leaves.
R. swartzii
9. Stamens 8–12 mm.
→ 12
12. Calyces: lateral lobes 2–3 mm; wings puberulent apically, 6–7 mm; seeds red and black, 5–8 mm.
R. precatoria
12. Calyces: lateral lobes 4–5 mm; wings glabrous, 8–10 mm; seeds brown, black, or mottled, 2–4 mm.
→ 13
13. Banners glabrous, keel petals 4–5 mm wide; seeds subglobose; hilum ovate; calyces hirtellous; leaflet surfaces gland-dotted and puberulent abaxially, strigose adaxially, blade bases cuneate.
R. cytisoides
13. Banners puberulent (and gland-dotted), keel petals 2–2.5 mm wide; seeds ovoid-ellipsoid; hilum linear; calyces tomentose, vis­cid; leaflet surfaces grayish tomentulose, blades bases obtuse.
R. parvifolia
1. Stipules persistent; inflorescences axillary.
var. tomentosa
1. Stipules caducous; inflorescences mostly terminal.
var. mollissima
Source FNA vol. 11. Author: Michael Woods. FNA vol. 11.
Parent taxa Fabaceae > subfam. Faboideae Fabaceae > subfam. Faboideae > Rhynchosia
Sibling taxa
R. americana, R. cinerea, R. cytisoides, R. difformis, R. edulis, R. latifolia, R. michauxii, R. minima, R. parvifolia, R. precatoria, R. reniformis, R. swartzii, R. texana
Subordinate taxa
R. americana, R. cinerea, R. cytisoides, R. difformis, R. edulis, R. latifolia, R. michauxii, R. minima, R. parvifolia, R. precatoria, R. reniformis, R. swartzii, R. texana, R. tomentosa
R. tomentosa var. mollissima, R. tomentosa var. tomentosa
Synonyms Leucopterum Glycine tomentosa
Name authority Loureiro: Fl. Cochinch. 2: 425 — (as Phynchosia), 460. 1790, name conserved (Linnaeus) Hooker & Arnott: Compan. Bot. Mag. 1: 23. (1835)
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