Galactia smallii
Galactia smallii | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Rosids |
Order: | Fabales |
Family: | Fabaceae |
Subfamily: | Faboideae |
Genus: | Galactia |
Species: | G. smallii
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Binomial name | |
Galactia smallii |
Galactia smallii is a rare species of flowering plant in the legume family known by the common name Small's milkpea. It is endemic to Florida, where it is known only from a few small patches of remaining habitat in Miami-Dade County.[1] It is threatened by the destruction and inadequate management of its habitat. It was federally listed as an endangered species of the United States in 1985.[2]
Description
This plant is a creeping or climbing vine with gray-haired stems reaching up to 2 meters long. The shaggy hairs on the stem nodes may be up to 8 millimeters long. Each leaf is compound, made up of three hairy leaflets that measure 1 to 2 centimeters long. The inflorescence produces 1 to 5 pea flowers which are just over a centimeter long and pink to lavender in color.[1][2] The flowers are pollinated by the Cassius blue butterfly (Leptotes cassius theonus) and other insects.[3] The fruit is a hairy legume pod 3 or 4 centimeters long and a few millimeters wide.[1]
Habitat
This species grows in Florida's
Management and status
When this plant was added to the endangered species list it was known from only two places near
Appropriate land management in the pine rocklands involves controlled burns to mimic the natural pattern. Fire also helps to prevent the encroachment of invasive plants. One of the worst offenders is Natal grass (Melinis repens).[5]
The plant is present at eight sites on public land and an unknown number of sites on private property. The County of Miami-Dade has purchased some tracts of land that contain the plant for the purpose of managing and conserving them. The largest population is located on public, county-owned land near the
References
- ^ a b c Galactia smallii. The Nature Conservancy.
- ^ a b c USFWS. Endangered and threatened status for five Florida pine rockland plants. Federal Register July 18, 1985.
- ^ Galactia smallii. Archived 2011-10-26 at the Wayback Machine Center for Plant Conservation.
- ^ Pine Rockland. Florida Natural Areas Inventory.
- ^ a b c d USFWS. Galactia smallii Five-year Review. July 2010.