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least snoutbean

swartz's snoutbean

Habit Herbs or subshrubs. Herbs or subshrubs.
Stems

usually prostrate or twining, rarely ascending, rarely viscid, glabrous, puberulent, or villosulous, hairs silvery or grayish, spreading or reflexed.

trailing or twining, gland-dotted, soft-hirsute, hairs silvery.

Leaves

trifoliolate;

stipules persistent, linear to lanceolate, 1–6 × 1–2 mm, apex acuminate, surfaces puberulent to villosulous;

petiole 4–100 mm, glabrous, tomentulose, or villosulous;

leaflet blades rhombic-orbiculate, rhombic, subrhombic, or ovate, 30–90 × 5–70 mm, membranous or nearly leathery, gland-dotted, base obtuse to rounded, cuneate, or truncate, apex acuminate to obtuse, surfaces glabrous, puberulent, or sparsely to densely villosulous abaxially, glabrous or finely strigose, villosulous, or puberulent adaxially.

trifoliolate;

stipules persistent, narrowly lanceolate to lanceolate, 3–4 × 0.5–1.5 mm, acuminate, surfaces hirtellous;

petiole 10–60 mm, hirsute;

leaflet blades ovate, 20–60 × 15–45 mm, membranous, gland-dotted abaxially, base obtuse, rounded, or truncate, apex acute or long-acuminate, surfaces hirsute abaxially, glabrous or hirsute adaxially.

Inflorescences

racemes, longer than leaves, 2–20 cm.

racemes, longer than leaves, 1–6 cm.

Pedicels

1–5 mm.

filiform, 2–4 mm, viscid.

Flowers

calyx 3–6 mm, puberulent or villosulous, tube 1.5–2 mm, lobes lanceolate, laterals 1.5–4 mm, lengths to 2.5 times tube, adaxials 0.5–1 mm;

corolla yellow, veined purple or brown;

banner orbiculate-ovate, 4–6 × 3–5 mm, emarginate, puberulent, gland-dotted;

wings narrowly oblong, 4.5–5 × 1–2 mm, narrowly gland-dotted, puberulent apically;

keel 5–6 × 2–3 mm, glabrous;

stamens 5–7 mm.

calyx 3.5–5 mm, hirsute-viscid, tube 2.5–5 mm, lobes broadly lanceolate, laterals 1.5–2 mm, lengths to 2.5 times tube, adaxials 0.5–1 mm;

corolla yellow;

banner obovate, 5–8 × 3–4.5 mm, marginate, puberulent, gland-dotted;

wings oblong, 4–5 × 1–1.5 mm, glabrous;

keel 4.5–5 × 2-2.5 mm, glabrous;

stamens 3.5–5 mm.

Legumes

falcate to oblong-ovoid, compressed, 9–20 × 3–5 mm, glabrous, puberulent, or villosulous.

brown, acinaciform, compressed, 25–40 × 5–9 mm, tapered toward base, densely puberulent, hairs long, scattered.

Seeds

grayish, brown, black, or mottled, ovoid-reniform, plump, 3–4 × 2–3 mm.

brown to red, reniform, barely compressed, 4–6 × 3–3.5 mm.

2n

= 22.

Rhynchosia minima

Rhynchosia swartzii

Phenology Flowering spring–summer. Flowering spring.
Habitat Disturbed areas, forests, edges, prairies, sand dunes. Sandy soils, hammocks, thickets, open woods, pastures, roadsides.
Elevation 0–100 m. (0–300 ft.) 0–10 m. (0–0 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; AR; FL; LA; MO; MS; TX; Central America; South America; West Indies; Bermuda
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
FL; s Mexico; West Indies (Bahamas, Greater Antilles)
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Rhynchosia minima was recently collected in Alabama after an absence of over 100 years (A. R. Diamond 2015).

Glycine littoralis Vahl ex de Candolle is an illegitimate name that pertains here.

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

In the flora area, Rhynchosia swartzii is found in Miami-Dade and Monroe counties.

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

Source FNA vol. 11. FNA vol. 11.
Parent taxa Fabaceae > subfam. Faboideae > Rhynchosia Fabaceae > subfam. Faboideae > Rhynchosia
Sibling taxa
R. americana, R. cinerea, R. cytisoides, R. difformis, R. edulis, R. latifolia, R. michauxii, R. parvifolia, R. precatoria, R. reniformis, R. swartzii, R. texana, R. tomentosa
R. americana, R. cinerea, R. cytisoides, R. difformis, R. edulis, R. latifolia, R. michauxii, R. minima, R. parvifolia, R. precatoria, R. reniformis, R. texana, R. tomentosa
Synonyms Dolichos minimus, Dolicholus minimus, Glycine lamarckii, G. reflexa, Phaseolus caribaeus, R. aureoguttata, R. exigua, R. mexicana, R. minima var. diminifolia, R. minima var. lutea, R. minima var. pauciflora, R. punctata Dolicholus swartzii, R. gundlachii
Name authority (Linnaeus) de Candolle in A. P. de Candolle and A. L. P. P. de Candolle: Prod. 2: 385. (1825) (Vail) Urban: Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. 15: 320. (1918)
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