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Support the Flora of the Southeastern US

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Key to Tephrosia

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1 Style glabrous; corolla 7-12 mm long; [FL peninsula, or historically on ballast in s. AL].
  2 Corolla 10-12 mm long; leaflets 4-5× as long as wide; [historically on ballast, s. AL]
  2 Corolla 7-11 mm long; leaflets 4-20× as long as wide; [natural habitats, c. and s. peninsular FL].
    3 Plant finely villous or canescent; leaflets 4-7× as long as wide
    3 Plant minutely strigose; leaflets (2.5-) 4-20× as long as wide.
      4 Leaflets 10-20× as long as wide, without reticulate venation
      4 Leaflets (2.5-) 4-8× as long as wide, the broader with reticulate venation interconnecting the ascending secondary veins.
        5 Stipules 1-3 mm long; flowering in fall
        5 Stipules 4-8 mm long; flowering in spring
1 Style barbellate; corolla 8-20 mm long; [collectively widespread, including FL peninsula].
          6 Corolla bicolored, the standard yellow and the wings pink; racemes terminal; stems erect; stamens monadelphous; leaves with (9-) 13-23 (-37) leaflets.
             7 Inflorescence reduced, foliose, flowers solitary or in small clusters overtopped by leaves; plants < 25 cm tall; leaflets generally < 10 mm long and < 5 mm wide; [restricted to the West Gulf Coastal Plain of sw. GA, adjacent FL and westward]
             7 Inflorescence terminal, not foliose and overtopped by leaves; plants > 25 cm tall; leaflets generally > 10 mm long and > 5 mm wide; [widespread in our area]
          6 Corolla unicolored, initially white or pink, darkening in age to a dark maroon or purple; racemes opposite the leaves (the uppermost appearing terminal); stems decumbent or ascending; stamens diadelphous or submonadelphous (see below); leaves with (3-) 5-23 (-27) leaflets.
               8 Upper stamen fused with the staminal sheath for part or most of its length (submonadelphous); leaves with (9-) 13-23 (-27) leaflets; [plants from s. AL westward]
               8 Upper stamen either completely separate from the staminal sheath (diadelphous) or the upper stamen fused with the staminal sheath for part or most of its length (submonadelphous) (Tephrosia lindheimeri of TX); leaves with (3-) 5-17 (-19) leaflets; [plants collectively widespread in our area].
                 9 Upper stamen fused with the staminal sheath for part or most of its length (submonadelphous); [ec. and s. TX southwards and westwards]
                 9 Upper stamen completely separate from the staminal sheath (diadelphous); [w. LA eastwards].
                   10 Inflorescences with 1-several reduced leaves; inflorescences mainly borne terminally on the principal axis or branches
                   10 Inflorescences lacking leaves (sometimes with 1 reduced leaf); inflorescences mainly borne leaf-opposed.
                     11 Petiole (1-) 2-4× as long as the lowest leaflets of the leaf; peduncle and rachis of inflorescence strongly flattened (2-angled, or rarely, 3-angled) in cross-section; leaflets averaging 25 mm long and 12 mm wide
                     11 Petiole 1/3-1× as long as the lowest leaflets of the leaf; peduncle and rachis of inflorescence terete or inconspicuously 2-4-angled in cross-section; leaflets averaging smaller.
                       12 Stem and fruit finely pubescent with hairs < 0.5 mm long; leaves with (3-) 5-11 (-13) leaflets; petiole 0-5 mm long.
                          13 Leaflets 5-7 (-9); upper leaflet surfaces glabrous; [of e. and s. GA, s. AL, s. MS, and FL]
                          13 Leaflets (7-) 9-11 (-13); upper leaflet surfaces tawny-hirsute (use at least 10× magnification); [of c. peninsular FL]
                       12 Legume and stem coarse pubescent (villous) with hairs 1.0-1.5 mm long; leaves with (7-) 9-17 (-19) leaflets; petiole 2-15 mm long.
                            14 Inflorescence with 1-3 (-5) nodes; plants inconspicuously pubescent with gray hairs (the hairs appressed or spreading, short to fairly long); leaflets (3-) avg. 5-6 (-7) mm wide, mostly acute; [plants of the Coastal Plain of NC and SC]
                            14 Inflorescence with 2-20 nodes; plants conspicuously tawny long-pilose with rusty brown hairs; leaflets (6-) avg. 8 (-12) mm wide, mostly obtuse; [plants widespread in our area]