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Key to Galactia

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1 Leaflets 1; [e. TX southwestwards]
1 Leaflets 3-9; [collectively widespread in our region].
..2 Leaflets 5-9.
....3 Leaflets 5-9, leaflets in a conventionally pinnate arrangement; flowers white, 3-11 in a terminal inflorescence; [Coastal Plain of FL, GA, and SC]
....3 Leaflets mostly 5 (3-7 per leaf, most on a plant 5), the 4 non-terminal leaflets at a single node at the summit of the petiole; flowers pink, solitary and axillary; [TX]
..2 Leaflets 3; flowers white, pink, red, or purple.
......4 Stems erect (not prostrate, trailing, or twining), with 4-6 (-8) leaves, usually alternately bent at nodes; inflorescence subsessile, 1-6-flowered
......4 Stems prostrate, trailing, or twining, with numerous leaves (except in depauperate plants), not bent at nodes; inflorescence pedunculate, 1-flowered if sessile or subsessile.
........5 Stems climbing or sprawling, twining.
..........6 Corollas 11-14 (-15) mm; stems loosely strigose with short, loosely appressed, retrorse hairs, strongly lignescent
..........6 Corollas 7-11 mm; stems strigose to hirsute or hirsute-pilose, herbaceous to weakly lignescent or (G. striata) strongly lignescent.
............ 7 Banner striped with white lines; [c. and s. FL peninsula, coastal and near-coastal]
............ 7 Banner not striped; [collectively widespread].
............ ..8 Fruits falcate; flowers 1-5, solitary and pedicellate or 2-5 on an inflorescence axis 1-4 (-40) mm long; [TX]
............ ..8 Fruits straight; flowers 1-8 (-16), solitary and pedicellate or 2-8 (-16) on an inflorescence axis 10-150(-280) mm long; [collectively widespread].
............ ....9 Stems strigose with antrorse hairs; leaflets linear-oblong to narrowly oblong or narrowly elliptic, 2-4 (-6) mm wide; [s. FL only]
............ ....9 Stems strigose to hirsute or hirsute-villous with spreading-deflexed to retrorse hairs; leaflets oblong to elliptic or lanceolate, 5-21 (-25) mm wide; [more widely distributed].
............ ......10 Leaflets narrowly oblong to oblong-lanceolate, 6-14 mm wide; fruits 35-65 mm long, seeds 12-15 per fruit; [TX]
............ ......10 Leaflets various (see below), 5-21 (-25) mm wide; fruits 20-52 mm long; seeds 5-11 per fruit; [collectively widespread].
............ ........11 Leaflets mostly elliptic to broadly elliptic, (5-) 10-21 (-25) mm wide, usually widest at the midpoint; stems moderately to densely hirsute to hirsute-villous with spreading-deflexed hairs; corollas 7-10 mm; leaflets thick in texture, not glaucous below
............ ........11 Leaflets mostly ovate to lanceolate, 5-15 (-17) mm wide, widest below the midpoint; stems moderately to sparsely strigose with tightly to loosely appressed, retrorse hairs, sometimes glabrate; corollas 9-14 mm; leaflets thin in texture, usually glaucous below
........5 Stems procumbent at least proximally and variously twining, weakly twining, or not twining towards the tip.
............ ..........12 Stems gray retrorse-strigose; leaflets roundish, 1-1.3× as long as wide; stems 'rooting' at nodes, producing rhizomes; inflorescences of 2 types: 1) aerial inflorescences with chasmogamous flowers, and 2) single, subterranean, cleistogamous flowers that develop into 1-seeded legumes; [TX and southwards]
............ ..........12 Stems variously hairy to glabrous, but not gray retrorse-strigose; leaflets elongate, > 1.5× as long as wide; stems not rooting at nodes; inflorescences all aerial with chasmogamous flowers; [LA and eastwards]
............ ............ 13 Calyx lobes brown to reddish brown on inner surface when dry; corollas distinctly dark reddish when dry, persisting after withering, sometimes still present when fruit is mature
............ ............ 13 Calyx lobes greenish-yellow to tan on inner surface when dry; corollas light whitish to blue, pinkish, or purplish when dry, not persisting after anthesis.
............ ............ ..14 Leaflets subcoriaceous to coriaceous, venation raised on both surfaces.
............ ............ ....15 Leaflets mostly linear-oblong or narrowly oblong, 2-8 (-11) mm wide; [c. and s. peninsular FL only]
............ ............ ....15 Leaflets elliptic, oblanceolate-elliptic, oblong-elliptic, elliptic-lanceolate, or broadly lanceolate, (4-) 7-25 (-32) mm wide; [mainly Coastal Plain, s. NJ south to s. FL, west to s. MS]
............ ............ ......16 Several to most internodes (especially those toward the base) longer than the largest leaflet of adjacent nodes, hairs on the stem 0.1-0.8 mm long; leaflets (4-) 10-25 (-32) mm wide; flowers (3-) 5-15 (-25), rarely 1-2
............ ............ ......16 Internodes only a little longer to usually shorter than the largest leaflet of adjacent nodes, hairs on stems 0.05-0.25 mm long; leaflets (4-) 7-10 (-18) mm wide; flowers solitary and axillary or 2-4
............ ............ ..14 Leaflets herbaceous, venation not raised.
............ ............ ........17 Leaflets (14-) 20-55 × (10-) 15-35 mm; flowers 5-12 (-25)
............ ............ ........17 Leaflets 8-30 × 5-20 mm; flowers solitary and axillary or 2-6.
............ ............ ..........18 Inflorescence axis 10-20 mm; calyces 3-4 mm; corollas 6-7 mm; [Panhandle FL and adjacent s. AL]
............ ............ ..........18 Inflorescence axis (5-) 20-60 (-90) mm; calyces 6-7 mm; corollas 12-15 mm; [s. FL]
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