Tephrosia chrysophylla

Herbs. Stems prostrate, 20–50 cm, densely strigose to hirsutulous or hispid-hirsute, hairs spreading to deflexed. Leaves: petiole (0 or) 1–5 mm, leaflets (3 or)5 or 7, blades concolorous, obovate-obtriangular to oblong-obovate, elliptic, or obovate, 12–35 × 7–20 mm, length 1.3–2 times width, apex truncate to retuse, abaxial surface densely strigose, hairs relatively long and overlapping, venation greenish, adaxial bright green, glabrous or sparsely strigose, venation raised. Racemes axillary, 2–6-flowered, evident (flowers well above level of leaves), 2–10(–15) cm; floral bracts persistent, linear-lanceolate. Flowers: corolla white to pale pink, aging pink to reddish, (8–)10–14 mm; stamens diadelphous; style bearded. Legumes 30–40(–50) × 4–5 mm, sparsely strigulose to strigose-hirsute.

Phenology: Flowering May–Jul.
Habitat: Sandhills, ridges, flats, pine flatwoods, slash pine-wiregrass, longleaf pine forests, turkey oak woodlands, roadsides.
Elevation: 10–50 m.

Ala., Fla., Ga., Miss.

Discussion

Tephrosia chrysophylla is recognized by its prostrate habit and sessile or subsessile leaves with relatively few, broad and short leaflets with raised adaxial venation.

A “Panhandle Entity” of Tephrosia chrysophylla was recognized by K. R. DeLaney (2010b) as a likely distinct species, possibly correctly identified as T. carpenteri or T. chapmanii. It is said to replace typical T. chrysophylla west of the Ochlockonee River in Florida, southwestern Georgia, southern Alabama, and southeastern Mississippi. In this view, the only localities of typical T. chrysophylla outside of Florida are in coastal or near-coastal southeastern Georgia.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa