Herbs, perennial, or subshrubs, multi-stemmed [single]. Stems prostrate or decumbent to erect, usually densely pubescent, rarely glabrate. Leaves alternate; mostly sessile or subsessile (petiole to 2 mm in H. ovatifolia); sometimes dimorphic (proximal different from distal); blade surfaces not punctate (except translucent-punctate in H. macradenia and H. punctata), pubescent. Inflorescences terminal, axillary, or leaf-opposed, usually racemes, sometimes 1 or 2(–4)-flowered; peduncle present or absent; bracts deciduous. Pedicels present. Flowers usually purple, pink, yellow, greenish yellow, rarely whitish, wings sometimes cream, yellowish, or greenish, keel sometimes yellow or yellowish green distally, chasmogamous, 3–8 mm; sepals deciduous or upper 1 sometimes tardily so or subpersistent (in H. macradenia and H. punctata), distinct, pubescent; wings deciduous, 3.5–6(–7.5) mm, pubescent; keel not beaked or crested, sometimes bluntly 3-lobed, pubescent or glabrate (in H. obscura); stamens usually 8, some­times 7 (in H. macradenia), not grouped; ovary 2-loculed. Fruits capsules, dehiscent, margins not winged (except sometimes narrowly winged in H. barbeyana), not punctate (except translucent-punctate in H. macradenia and H. punctata), pubescent to glabrate or glabrous and ciliolate. Seeds pubescent, arillate.

Distribution

sw, sc United States, Mexico, West Indies, Central America, South America.

Discussion

Species 40–70 (7 in the flora).

Most species of Hebecarpa are Mexican, the center of diversity for this group. The seven in the flora area occur mostly in arid and semi-arid areas of the southwestern United States, representing contiguous northern expansions of their ranges in Mexico. A few species range into Central America and Andean South America, but they are not the basalmost species, suggesting that they have arrived in these regions secondarily.

Several species complexes in this group are in serious need of revision, with overly fine, historical splitting (often based on few specimens); thus the total number of species is probably fewer than 50.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

Hebecarpa barbeyana, Hebecarpa macradenia, Hebecarpa obscura, Hebecarpa ovatifolia, Hebecarpa palmeri, Hebecarpa punctata, Hebecarpa rectipilis

Key

1	Leaf blade surfaces and capsules densely translucent-punctate from internal cavities appearing as pustular glands 0.2–0.4 mm diam.	> 2
1	Leaf blade surfaces and capsules not translucent-punctate.	> 3
2	Leaf blades linear-oblong to oblong-lanceolate, narrowly ovate, or linear.	Hebecarpa macradenia
2	Leaf blades usually obovate, rarely suborbiculate to broadly elliptic.	Hebecarpa punctata
3	Capsules densely pubescent to glabrate.	Hebecarpa obscura
3	Capsules glabrous, margins ciliolate.	> 4
4	Stems and leaves with incurved hairs.	> 5
4	Stems and leaves with spreading hairs.	> 6
5	Middle and distal leaf blades usually 1.5–4(–6) mm wide, elliptic, lanceolate, or linear; capsules 5–10(–11) mm.	Hebecarpa barbeyana
5	Middle and distal leaf blades 4–7 mm wide, ovate, elliptic, or obovate; capsules 9–12 mm.	Hebecarpa palmeri
6	Leaf blades ovate to ovate-oblong or elliptic; capsules 8.5–13 mm.	Hebecarpa ovatifolia
6	Leaf blades ovate, elliptic, spatulate, or linear proximally, elliptic, lanceolate, or linear distally (often longer than proximal ones); capsules 6–8 mm.	Hebecarpa rectipilis