Tephrosia florida

Tephrosia florida
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Subfamily: Faboideae
Genus: Tephrosia
Species:
T. florida
Binomial name
Tephrosia florida
(F.G. Dietrich) C.E. Wood
Synonyms

Cracca ambigua (M.A. Curtis) Kuntze

Tephrosia florida, commonly known as Florida hoarypea or Florida goat's-rue, is a species of perennial forb endemic to the southeastern region of the United States.[1][2]

Description

Stems are prostrate to erect, reaching a length of up to 60 cm (24 in) and may be glabrous or strigulose.[3] The leaves are odd-pinnate, ranging in length between 3 and 15 cm (1.2 and 5.9 in). Leaflets number between 7 and 19 (rarely 1 to 41), are cuneate-oblong or narrowly to widely elliptic in shape, reaching between 1 and 5 cm (0.4 and 2.0 in) in length.[4]

Principal inflorescence occurs opposite the leaves, and reach a length between 2 and 23 cm (0.8 and 9.1 in).[4] The corolla are initially white to yellow in coloration, transitioning over time to pink and purple.[4][3] T. florida flower from May through July.[5]

The legumes of T. florida range between 3 and 5 cm (1.2 and 2.0 in) in length and are sparsely to moderately pubescent, with trichomes 0.5 cm (0.2 in) or less in length.[4]

Distribution and habitat

Tephrosia florida's native range occurs within the United States' coastal plain region, from North Carolina to Florida and stretching westward to Louisiana.[6]

This species may be found in habitats such as pine savannas and other pineland environments.[5]

References

  1. ^ Weakley, Alan S. (21 May 2015). Flora of the Southern and Mid-Atlantic States. Chapel Hill, North Carolina: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
  2. ^ "USDA Plants Database". plants.usda.gov. Retrieved 2025-10-30.
  3. ^ a b Nesom, Guy L. (1949). "Tephrosia florida". Rhodora. 51 (305).
  4. ^ a b c d Radford, Albert E.; Ahles, Harry E.; Bell, C. Ritchie (21 December 1968). Manual of the Vascular Flora of the Carolinas. The University of North Carolina Press. ISBN 978-0807810873.
  5. ^ a b "Tephrosia florida (Florida Hoarypea) - FSUS". fsus.ncbg.unc.edu. Retrieved 2025-10-30.
  6. ^ "Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center - The University of Texas at Austin". www.wildflower.org. Retrieved 2025-10-30.