Tephrosia florida
Tephrosia spicata
Florida hoary-pea or goat's-rue, Florida hoarypea
spike hoary-pea
prostrate to procumbent, 10–80 cm, glabrous or strigulose.
erect to ascending or decumbent-ascending, 30–60 cm, strigose to hirsute or glabrate.
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 (2–)5–15 mm;
leaflets (7 or)9–13(–17), blades concolorous, oblanceolate to obovate, elliptic-obovate, or oblong-obovate, 8–28(–40) × 6–16 mm, length 1.5–3.5(–5) times width, apex rounded to truncate, abaxial surface moderately to densely strigose to strigose-hirsute, hairs relatively long and overlapping, venation greenish, adaxial glabrous or strigose-hirsute, venation raised.
axillary and terminal, 2–6-flowered, evident (flowers well above level of leaves), 5–15(–25) cm;
floral bracts persistent, linear-subulate.
(3–)5–15(–20)-flowered, evident (flowers well above level of leaves), 10–20(–40) cm;
floral bracts persistent, lanceolate.
corolla yellowish white to white, aging dark purple, 10–14 mm;
stamens diadelphous;
style bearded.
corolla yellowish white, becoming pink to red, drying purple, 13–18 mm;
stamens diadelphous;
style bearded.
25–40 × 4–5 mm, sparsely strigulose.
20–40 × 3.5–4.5 mm, hirsute-villous, glabrescent.
= 22.
Tephrosia florida
Tephrosia spicata
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 spicata is recognized by its numerous leaflets with raised adaxial venation and long, ebracteate peduncles with long racemes.
Cracca flexuosa (Vail) A. Heller is a later homonym that pertains here.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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