Galactia volubilis
| Galactia volubilis | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Fabales |
| Family: | Fabaceae |
| Subfamily: | Faboideae |
| Genus: | Galactia |
| Species: | G. volubilis
|
| Binomial name | |
| Galactia volubilis | |
Galactia volubilis, commonly known as McRee's milkpea, is a trailing or twining perennial herbaceous vine in the family Fabaceae, native to the southeastern United States.
Description
Stems range from 0.4 to 1.2 meters in length and are minutely pubescent to nearly smooth. The leaves are typically 3-foliolate with oblong to elliptic leaflets measuring 2–3.5 cm long, glabrous above and slightly pubescent beneath. Flowers are reddish purple and arranged in axillary racemes 1–13 cm long. Each flower is subtended by small bracts and borne on a short, hairy pedicel. The calyx is sparsely pubescent, with lobes longer than the tube. The legume is 2–5 cm long, linear, and densely pubescent, splitting open at maturity with twisting valves to release seeds. Like other members of the genus Galactia, it has papilionaceous flowers, diadelphous stamens, and produces elongated, dehiscent pods.[1]
Distribution and habitat
Galactia volubilis is found in xeric areas with hot, wet summers and mild, dry winters.[2][3] It is distributed from southeastern Virginia south to South Florida and west to central Arkansas and eastern Texas, and grows in longleaf pine sandhills and other dry forests and openings.[4]
Ecology
Galactia volubilis readily germinates from seed and resprouts in response to fire.[5][6] It has been observed to increase in abundance in response to fire,[7] although this may be as a result of the heat-shock from fire encouraging germination rather than a direct result of the fire.[8]
References
- ^ Core, Earl L. (1970-11-15). "Carolina Flora Manual of the Vascular Flora of the Carolinas A. E. Radford H. E. Ahles C. R. Bell". BioScience. 20 (22): 1217–1217. doi:10.2307/1295633. ISSN 0006-3568.
- ^ Hawkes, Christine V.; Menges, Eric S. (2003). "EFFECTS OF LICHENS ON SEEDLING EMERGENCE IN A XERIC FLORIDA SHRUBLAND". Southeastern Naturalist. 2 (2): 223–234. doi:10.1656/1528-7092(2003)002[0223:eolose]2.0.co;2. ISSN 1528-7092.
- ^ Storch, David; Šizling, Arnošt L.; Gaston, Kevin J. (2007-07-12), "Scaling species richness and distribution: uniting the species–area and species–energy relationships", Scaling Biodiversity, Cambridge University Press, pp. 300–322, retrieved 2025-09-25
- ^ "Galactia volubilis (McRee's Milkpea) - FSUS". fsus.ncbg.unc.edu. Retrieved 2025-09-25.
- ^ Reinhart, Kurt O.; Menges, Eric S. (2004). "Effects of re-introducing fire to a central Florida sandhill community". Applied Vegetation Science. 7 (1): 141. doi:10.1658/1402-2001(2004)007[0141:eorfta]2.0.co;2. ISSN 1402-2001.
- ^ Freeman, Johanna E.; Kobziar, Leda N. (2011). "Tracking postfire successional trajectories in a plant community adapted to high-severity fire". Ecological Applications. 21 (1): 61–74. doi:10.1890/09-0948.1. ISSN 1051-0761.
- ^ Weekley, Carl W.; Menges, Eric S. (2003). "Species and Vegetation Responses to Prescribed Fire in a Long-Unburned, Endemic-Rich Lake Wales Ridge Scrub". Journal of the Torrey Botanical Society. 130 (4): 265. doi:10.2307/3557545. ISSN 1095-5674.
- ^ Bolin, Jay F. (2009). "Heat Shock Germination Responses of Three Eastern North American Temperate Species". Castanea. 74 (2): 160–167. doi:10.2179/08-010.1. ISSN 0008-7475.