Tephrosia florida
Tephrosia mysteriosa
Florida hoary-pea or goat's-rue, Florida hoarypea
Lake Wales hoary-pea
prostrate to procumbent, 10–80 cm, glabrous or strigulose.
prostrate, 20–60 cm, densely hirsute, hairs tawny.
petiole usually (10–)20–40 mm;
leaflets (5 or)7–13(or 15), blades bicolored (darker abaxially), narrowly oblanceolate to oblong-oblanceolate or obovate-elliptic, 17–35 × (1.5–)3–9(–11) mm, length (2.5–)3–6 times width, apex obtuse to rounded or truncate and slightly retuse, abaxial surface usually finely and evenly sparsely strigose, rarely hirsute to hirsute-strigose, hairs relatively short, not overlapping, venation distinctly reddish, adaxial glabrate.
petiole 1–2(–3) mm;
leaflets (5 or)7–11(or 13), blades concolorous, elliptic to oblong- or obovate-elliptic, (8–)14–18(–25) × (6–)8–12(–16) mm, length 1.6–2.2 times width, apex truncate to slightly retuse, abaxial surface moderately to densely strigose-sericeous, hairs relatively long and overlapping, venation greenish, adaxial dull, light olive green to brownish, usually hirtellous, becoming glabrate or glabrescent.
axillary and terminal, 2–6-flowered, evident (flowers well above level of leaves), 5–15(–25) cm;
floral bracts persistent, linear-subulate.
axillary, 2–6-flowered, evident (flowers well above level of leaves), (5–)10–16(–20) cm;
floral bracts persistent, linear-lanceolate.
corolla yellowish white to white, aging dark purple, 10–14 mm;
stamens diadelphous;
style bearded.
corolla white to pinkish, aging red to deep maroon, 8–12 mm;
stamens diadelphous;
style bearded.
25–40 × 4–5 mm, sparsely strigulose.
40–55 × 4–5 mm, minutely and closely strigulose.
Tephrosia florida
Tephrosia mysteriosa
Tephrosia florida is recognized by its relatively small, elongate, bicolored leaves with abaxial surfaces strigulose and with reddish venation (including secondary and tertiary veins).
Tephrosia × intermedia (Small) G. L. Nesom & Zarucchi is a putative hybrid between T. chrysophylla and T. florida (C. E. Wood Jr. 1949; D. Isely 1998; G. L. Nesom and J. L. Zarucchi 2009). Synonyms are Cracca intermedia Small, C. floridana Vail, C. smallii Vail, and T. × floridana (Vail) Isely. The hybrid is said to occur in association with the two putative parents, sporadically from Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and Mississippi, and its origin as a recurrent hybrid seems a reasonable hypothesis. According to Isely, it most closely resembles T. florida, differing in its shorter petioles and broader, fewer leaflets; both parents are variable in these features, and it is difficult to confirm that the putative hybrids are consistently intermediate in morphology. Perhaps the only sure way to identify the hybrid is to see it in the field, in company with the parents and in contrast to them.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Tephrosia mysteriosa is known from two major ridge systems, the Lake Wales Ridge and the Mount Dora Ridge, in the northern half of peninsular Florida. The species had previously been identified as T. chrysophylla; variant populations of T. mysteriosa found in disturbed sites on the periphery of its range probably reflect hybridization with T. chrysophylla. Tephrosia × varioforma DeLaney is a hybrid of T. florida and T. mysteriosa and is apparently formed sporadically.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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