Vines and Climbing Plants of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands

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Vines and Climbing Plants of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands
10. GALACTIA
Herbaceous or slightly woody vines, twining. Leaves alternate, trifoliolate or unifoliolate; stipels
minute or absent; stipules minute, deciduous. Inflorescences of axillary or terminal pseudoracemes,
the flowers grouped on the swellings along the rachis; bracts and bracteoles minute, deciduous or
persistent. Calyx campanulate, with 4 lobes, elongate; corolla pink, lavender, white, or less frequently
red, the standard elliptical or rounded, reflexed, narrow at the base, the wings appressed to the keel;
stamens 10, monadelphous or diadelphous, unequal; ovary superior, sessile, pubescent, with numerous
ovules, the style curved, glabrous, the stigma capitate. Fruit a flattened, linear legume, slightly curved,
with a beak at the apex, dehiscent by twisting valves; seeds small, few, ovoid, brown. A genus of about
50 species, the majority of the New World tropics.
Key to the species of Galactia
1a. Corolla brilliant red; standard 14-18 mm long; species endemic to the Virgin Islands
…………………………………………………………………………...............…… 2. G. eggersii
1b. Corollas pink or lavender; standard 5-15 mm long; species of wide distribution ……….. 2
2a. Leaflets linear or linear-oblong; inflorescences usually of a single flower; calyx strigose
..……………………………………………………….………………..….. 3. G. longifolia
2b. Leaflets ovate, elliptical, oblong, or lanceolate; inflorescences of 4 or more flowers; calyx pilose or
pubescent (sometimes strigulose) …………………………………………….…........... 3
3a. Legumes 5-5.5 mm wide; standard 12-15 mm long ………………………..…... 1. G. dubia
3b. Legumes 6-9 mm wide; standard 8-10 mm long ………………………...….… 4. G. striata
1. Galactia dubia DC., Prodr. 2: 238. 1825.
Fig. 105. A-E
SYNONYMS: Galactia dubia DC. var. ehrenbergii Urb.
Galactia dubia DC. var. guanisensis Urb.
Iron weed
Non-woody vine, twining, attainig 2 m in
length. Stems slender, green, appressedpubescent.
Leaves alternate, trifoliolate; leaflets
1-4 × 0.8-2 cm, subcoriaceous, elliptical, oblong,
or obovate, involute, the apex emarginate,
rounded, mucronate, the base rounded, the
margins entire; upper surface dark green, shiny
or dull, puberulent or pubescent; lower surface
pale green, dull, strigose or sericeous-pubescent,
with the midvein prominent; petioles slender,
pubescent, 1-2 cm long; stipules lanceolate, 2-3
mm long; stipels absent. Inflorescences of axillary
pseudoracemes, few-flowered; rachis 1-4 cm long;
flowers 2-3, clustered on the swellings of the
rachis; bracts minute, persistent. Calyx almost
campanulate, green, pilose, 5-10 mm long, the
sepals 4, ovate, acuminate, 4-7 mm long, two of
which are longer; corolla pale pink or lavender,
the standard oblong-elliptical, 12-15 mm long,
reflexed, greenish at the base on the inner surface,
the wings and the keel 10-12 mm long. Legume
3-6 × 0.5-0.6 cm, oblong-linear, flattened, slightly
curved, pubescent. Seeds ca. 4 mm long, oblong,
dark brown.
Phenology: Flowering from January to
October and fruiting from January to May.
Status: Native, relatively common.
Distribution: In areas of disturbed vegetation,
at lower elevations, mostly near the coast. Also
on Culebra, Culebrita, Desecheo, Icacos, Mona,
Vieques, St. Croix, Little St. James, St. John, St.
Thomas, and Tortola; the Lesser Antilles.
Public Forests: Cambalache, Guánica, Mona,
Río Abajo, and Susúa.
2. Galactia eggersii Urb., Symb. Antill. 2: 311.
1900.
Fig. 105. F-H