Tephrosia thurberi
Tephrosia mysteriosa
Thurber's hoary-pea
Lake Wales hoary-pea
erect, 30–60 cm, hirsute to hirsute-villous.
prostrate, 20–60 cm, densely hirsute, hairs tawny.
petiole 10–30(–40) mm;
leaflets (9–)11–27, blades elliptic to narrowly oblong, 15–30 × (5–)7–13 mm, length 2.5–3.5(–4) times width, apex obtuse to rounded, surfaces loosely strigose to sericeous.
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.
congested, 8–14-flowered, 2–4 cm;
floral bracts setaceous, caducous.
axillary, 2–6-flowered, evident (flowers well above level of leaves), (5–)10–16(–20) cm;
floral bracts persistent, linear-lanceolate.
corolla pink and pink-purple or yellowish, aging pink-purple, 15–18 mm;
stamens weakly diadelphous;
style bearded.
corolla white to pinkish, aging red to deep maroon, 8–12 mm;
stamens diadelphous;
style bearded.
30–60 × 4 mm, villosulous.
40–55 × 4–5 mm, minutely and closely strigulose.
Tephrosia thurberi
Tephrosia mysteriosa
Tephrosia thurberi is similar to T. virginiana but far disjunct and in a different biome. In the flora area, it is restricted to Cochise and Santa Cruz counties in southeastern Arizona.
(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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