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endbeak pencilflower, pencil-flower, sidebeak pencilflower

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Stems

herbaceous, erect or spreading, much branched, to 6 dm, glabrous, puberulent, or densely hispid.

herbaceous, ascending, spreading, prostrate, or matted, often much branched, to 10 dm, often with line of fine pubescence on one side, occasionally sericeous.

Leaves

stipular sheath 8–15-veined, glabrous or puberulent to densely hispid, teeth of distal stipules mostly shorter than sheath;

petiole 1–3 mm;

leaflet blades ovate to elliptic or lanceolate, 40–20 mm, veins 3–6 pairs, base cuneate, margins sometimes spinulose, apex acute to acuminate, surfaces sometimes punctate abaxially, glabrous.

stipular sheath 3–11-veined, sericeous or glabrous, teeth of distal stipules mostly shorter than sheath;

petiole 2–6 mm;

leaflet blades lanceolate to elliptic, 150–200 × 40–60 mm, veins 3–6 pairs, base cuneate, margins entire, apex obtuse to subacute, surfaces glabrous or short-pilose abaxially.

Inflorescences

1–8-flowered, ovoid, to 1 cm, axis rudiment absent;

bracts usually 1-foliolate, sometimes 3-foliolate proximally, 3–6 × 2.5–5.5 mm, 5–9-veined, puberulent to densely hispid;

outer bracteole 2–3 mm, apex glabrous or ciliate;

inner bracteole 1, 1–2.5 mm, apex glabrous or ciliate.

3–15-flowered, ovoid to oblong, to 2 cm, axis rudiment present, to 7 mm;

outer bracts 3-foliolate, inner bracts 1-foliolate, 5–7-veined, sheath pubescent;

outer bracteole 1–5 mm, apex ciliate;

inner bracteoles 2, 2–3.5 mm, apex ciliate.

Flowers

calyx tube 2.5–5 mm, lobes ± acute;

corolla yellow or orange-yellow;

banner suborbiculate, 4.5–7 mm;

wings 3.5–4.5 mm;

keel 3–4 mm.

calyx tube 4–7.5 mm, lobes ± acute;

corolla yellow;

banner suborbiculate, 4–5 mm;

wings 3.5–4.5 mm;

keel 3–4.5 mm.

Seeds

1–1.5 mm.

1–2 mm.

Loments

strongly reticulate with vertical veins, 2.5–3 mm wide;

fertile segment 1;

proximal segment sterile;

distal segment 2.5–5 mm, puberulent;

beak hooked, 0.5–1 mm, to 1/5 distal segment.

reticulate, 1.8–2.2 mm wide;

fertile segments (1 or)2;

proximal segment (when fertile) 1.5–3.5 mm;

distal segment 2–4 mm, glabrous or puberulent;

beak hooked, 2–4.5 mm, equaling to surpassing distal segment, shortly pubescent or glabrous.

2n

= 20, 40.

Stylosanthes biflora

Stylosanthes hamata

Phenology Flowering summer. Flowering year-round.
Habitat Dry, open, rocky or sandy wood­lands, borders, barrens, moist pine savannas, old fields, roadsides. Pinelands.
Elevation 0–1000 m. (0–3300 ft.) 0–10 m. (0–0 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; AR; AZ; DC; DE; FL; GA; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MD; MO; MS; NC; NJ; NY; OH; OK; PA; SC; TN; TX; VA; WI; WV; Mexico
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
FL; Mexico; Central America; West Indies; South America (Colombia, Venezuela)
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

In the flora area, Stylosanthes hamata is documented from only southernmost peninsular Florida.

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

Source FNA vol. 11. FNA vol. 11.
Parent taxa Fabaceae > subfam. Faboideae > Stylosanthes Fabaceae > subfam. Faboideae > Stylosanthes
Sibling taxa
S. calcicola, S. hamata, S. humilis, S. viscosa
S. biflora, S. calcicola, S. humilis, S. viscosa
Synonyms Trifolium biflorum, S. floridana, S. riparia Hedysarum hamatum
Name authority (Linnaeus) Britton: Sterns & Poggenburg, Prelim. Cat., 13. (1888) (Linnaeus) Taubert: Verh. Bot. Vereins Prov. Brandenburg 32: 22. (1890)
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