Contains 14 accepted taxa overall.
Characteristics
Classification
Citation
GALACTIA P. Browne, Civ. Nat. Hist. Jamaica 298. 1756.
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TYPE: Galactia pendula Persoon (Clitoria galactia Linnaeus)
Species
| Scientific Name | Common Name | Herbarium Specimens | Status | Photos |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Galactia austrofloridensis | SOUTH FLORIDA MILKPEA | Native | ||
| Galactia brachypoda | Native | |||
| Galactia elliottii | ELLIOTT'S MILKPEA | Native FACU (NWPL) U (WAP) | ||
| Galactia erecta | ERECT MILKPEA | Native | ||
| Galactia floridana | FLORIDA MILKPEA | Native | ||
| Galactia microphylla | LITTLELEAF MILKPEA | Native | ||
| Galactia minor | LEAFY MILKPEA | Native | ||
| Galactia mollis | SOFT MILKPEA | Native FAC (NWPL) | ||
| Galactia pinetorum | PINE ROCKLAND MILKPEA | Native | ||
| Galactia purshii | PURSH'S MILKPEA | Native | ||
| Galactia regularis | DOWNY MILKPEA | Native | ||
| Galactia smallii | SMALL'S MILKPEA | Native Rare-State Endangered-US | ||
| Galactia striata | FLORIDA HAMMOCK MILKPEA | Native | ||
| Galactia volubilis | EASTERN MILKPEA | Native FACU (NWPL) |
Identification Key
1. Leaves 5-9 foliolate; corolla white
1. Leaves 3-foliolate; corolla white to pink to purple when fresh, sometimes drying reddish
2
2. Plant erect, if twining, only at the distal tip of the stem; inflorescence sessile, subsessile, or pedunculate; petioles usually subequal to longer than the terminal leaflet at some or most mature nodes; corolla white to light pink, drying reddish
3
2. Plant prostrate, decumbent, clambering, or twining; inflorescence pedunculate, or if sessile then plant not erect; petioles usually subequal to shorter than the terminal leaflet, if petioles longer than terminal leaflet then plant not erect; corolla pink to purple (drying reddish in G. mollis)
4
3. Plant erect, sometimes twining distally, >36 cm long; most inflorescences pedunculate, mature peduncles > 6 mm long
3. Plant erect, not twining, <37 cm long; most inflorescences sessile, occasionally with mature peduncles < 9 mm long
4. Corolla and stamens reddish when dry or withered; inflorescence shoot-tip and immature fruits densely villous with spreading hairs
4. Corollas and stamens light brown, whitish, to blue, pinkish, or purplish when dry or withered; inflorescence shoot-tip and immature fruits villous, strigose, or glabrate with hairs mostly ascending to appressed or not dense
5
5. Banner (upper petal) typically with whitish striations, the base yellow to greenish yellow; mature inflorescence often with more than 15 flowers, nodes numerous and congested throughout the upper half of the rachis; fruit 5.5–9 mm wide; leaflets often with prominent pale secondary venation on the lower surface
5. Banner usually without white stripes or only the midvein white, the base mostly white to pinkish; mature inflorescence usually with less than 15 (–25) flowers, nodes not congested or only congested in the upper third of the rachis; fruit < 6 mm wide; leaflets with secondary venation not prominent on the lower surface, or if prominent then somewhat reddish with reticulate venation conspicuous on the upper surface
6
6. Stems villous, canescent, tomentose, or pilose (glabrate on older stems), the hairs mostly spreading to oblique, not appressed; hairs often persistent on calyx and on the upper surface of leaflets
7
6. Stems strigose, pubescent, or hirsute, the hairs appressed or oblique, not spreading; hairs often deciduous on calyx and the upper surface of leaflets
11
7. Mature leaflets with abaxial secondary venation usually not prominent, often white to yellow, and usually markedly reduced from midvein and generally discolorous and much paler, strongly glaucescent below, drying light-green to olive adaxially; reticulate venation usually inconspicuous adaxially without magnification, secondary venation usually not prominent adaxially; inflorescence to 15 cm long; fertile stems often less than 1 mm wide and not appearing leafy, i.e. internodes usually longer than the length of the terminal leaflet; plant often strongly twining, with stems sometimes inseparable and strongly intertwined
7. Mature leaflets usually with abaxial secondary venation prominent, often reddish, gradually reduced from midvein and generally concolorous and only slightly paler, only lightly glaucescent below, often drying dark brown-green to light green adaxially; reticulate venation usually conspicuous adaxially without magnification, secondary venation sometimes prominent adaxially; if venation not strongly pronounced then stems appearing leafy with short internodes subequal to the terminal leaflet length; inflorescence to 23 cm long; fertile stems ca. 1 mm wide; plant often not twining, with stems usually easily separable
8
8. Most mature terminal leaflets usually > 2.5 cm long
9
8. Most mature terminal leaflets usually < 2.5 (–3.5) cm long
10
9. Reticulate venation strongly prominent on both surfaces of the leaflets, usually conspicuous on both surfaces without magnification; leaflets with pellucid, whitish microscopic dots abundant on adaxial surface; distal secondary veins mostly at near right angles or descending
9. Reticulate venation prominent, but not strongly so, on both surfaces, usually not conspicuous abaxially without magnification and sometimes not conspicuous adaxially; leaflets with or without pellucid, whitish microscopic dots abundant on adaxial surface; distal secondary veins mostly ascending
10. Leaflets with appressed strigose hairs adaxially; inflorescence not exserted beyond the subtending leaf; inflorescence axis 10–20 mm
10. Leaflets with erect to ascending hairs adaxially; inflorescence usually exserted beyond subtending leaf, inflorescence axis (5–)20–60(–90) mm
11. Most leaflets < 15 mm wide, < 25 mm long, leaves often overlapping with those of adjacent nodes, terminal leaflet often subequal or longer than stem internodes, leaves densely covered with pellucid, whitish microscopic dots on adaxial surface; stem vestiture antrorsely or retrorsely strigose
11. Most leaflets > 15 mm wide or > 25 mm long, if smaller, then leaves mostly not overlapping with those of adjacent nodes, and terminal leaflet usually shorter than the stem internodes, or if leaves smaller then pellucid, whitish microscopic dots (< 0.1 mm wide) mostly confined to veins and absent from outer leaf margin on adaxial surface; stem vestiture retrorsely hirsute or antorsely or retrorsely strigose
12
12. Mature leaflets with abaxial secondary venation usually not prominent, often white to yellow, and usually markedly reduced from midvein and generally discolorous and much paler, strongly glaucescent below, drying light-green to olive adaxially; reticulate venation usually inconspicuous adaxially without magnification, secondary venation usually not prominent adaxially; inflorescence to 55 cm long; fertile stems often less than 1 mm wide; plant often strongly twining, with stems sometimes inseparable and strongly intertwined
13
12. Mature leaflets usually with abaxial secondary venation prominent, often reddish, gradually reduced from midvein and generally concolorous and only slightly paler, only lightly glaucescent below, often drying dark brown-green to light green adaxially; reticulate venation usually conspicuous adaxially without magnification, secondary venation sometimes prominent adaxially; inflorescence to 23 cm long; fertile stems ca. 1 mm wide; plant often not twining, with stems usually easily separable
14
13. Leaflets consistently linear-oblong, > 4 times as long as wide (rarely with broadly elliptic leaflets), less than 7 mm wide
13. Leaflets elliptic to ovate to narrowly ovate, some or most or all < 4 times as long as wide or more than 7 mm wide, occasionally with some leaflets > 4 times as long as wide and narrowly ovate
14. Reticulate venation strongly prominent on both surfaces, usually conspicuous on both surfaces without magnification; leaflets with pellucid, whitish microscopic dots abundant on adaxial surface; distal secondary veins often perpendicular, nearly so, or descending
14. Reticulate venation prominent, but not strongly so, on both surfaces, usually not conspicuous abaxially without magnification and sometimes not conspicuous adaxially; leaflets with or without pellucid, whitish microscopic dots abundant on adaxial surface; distal secondary veins usually ascending
Genus Synonyms
| Synonym | Full Citation | Basionym | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heterocarpaea | Heterocarpaea Scheele, Linnaea 21: 467. 1848. | TYPE: Heterocarpaea texana Scheele | |
| Leucodyction | Leucodyction Dalzell, Hooker's J. Bot. Kew Gard. Misc. 2: 264. 1850. | TYPE: Leucodyction malvensis Walpers | |
| Odonia | Odonia Bertoloni, Lucubr. Re Herb. 35. 1822; Opusc. Sci. 4: 334. 1823. | TYPE: Odonia tomentosa Bertoloni | |
| Sweetia | Sweetia de Candolle, Prodr. 2: 381. Nov 1825, non Sprengel Jan-May 1825. | TYPE: Non designatus. |