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spike hoary-pea

Lindheimer's hoary-pea

Habit Herbs. Herbs.
Stems

erect to ascending or decumbent-ascending, 30–60 cm, strigose to hirsute or glabrate.

prostrate to procumbent or decumbent, 40–100 cm, densely hirsute-pilose, hairs deflexed to spreading, to hirsute or strigose.

Leaves

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.

petiole 15–35 mm;

leaflets (5–)9–13(–17), blades obovate to obtriangular or suborbiculate, 12–30(–35) × 12–23 mm, length 1–2 times width, apex obtuse to retuse, surfaces finely and loosely strigose, adaxial sometimes glabrescent.

Racemes

(3–)5–15(–20)-flowered, evident (flowers well above level of leaves), 10–20(–40) cm;

floral bracts persistent, lanceolate.

8–25-flowered, flowers 1 per node, 6–15 cm;

floral bracts caducous, linear-subulate.

Flowers

corolla yellowish white, becoming pink to red, drying purple, 13–18 mm;

stamens diadelphous;

style bearded.

corolla pink to pink-purple or violet-red, 12–15 mm;

stamens monadelphous;

style bearded.

Legumes

20–40 × 3.5–4.5 mm, hirsute-villous, glabrescent.

40–50 × 6–8 mm, hirsute.

2n

= 22.

= 22.

Tephrosia spicata

Tephrosia lindheimeri

Phenology Flowering Jun–Aug. Flowering Apr–Jun(–Jul).
Habitat Dry or wet, open pine or mixed woods, pine-palmetto scrub, pineland bogs, pine savan­nas, clearings, field margins, roadsides. Deep sand, sandy loam, limestone ridges, roadsides, fields, pastures, open oak-hickory and oak woodlands, brushy prairies, live-oak savannas, mesquite uplands.
Elevation 10–200 m. (0–700 ft.) 0–600 m. (0–2000 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; DE; FL; GA; KY; LA; MD; MS; NC; SC; TN; VA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
TX
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

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.)

Tephrosia lindheimeri is relatively widespread in south-central Texas.

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

Source FNA vol. 11. FNA vol. 11.
Parent taxa Fabaceae > subfam. Faboideae > Tephrosia Fabaceae > subfam. Faboideae > Tephrosia
Sibling taxa
T. angustissima, T. chrysophylla, T. corallicola, T. curtissii, T. florida, T. hispidula, T. leiocarpa, T. lindheimeri, T. mohrii, T. mysteriosa, T. onobrychoides, T. potosina, T. rugelii, T. tenella, T. thurberi, T. virginiana
T. angustissima, T. chrysophylla, T. corallicola, T. curtissii, T. florida, T. hispidula, T. leiocarpa, T. mohrii, T. mysteriosa, T. onobrychoides, T. potosina, T. rugelii, T. spicata, T. tenella, T. thurberi, T. virginiana
Synonyms Galega spicata, Cracca spicata, T. spicata var. semitonsa Cracca lindheimeri
Name authority (Walter) Torrey & A. Gray: Fl. N. Amer. 1: 296. (1838) A. Gray: Boston J. Nat. Hist. 6: 172. (1850)
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