Galactia gracillima Bentham (1859: 142)

Ceolin, Guilherme B. & Miotto, Sílvia T. S., 2013, Synopsis of the genus Galactia (Phaseoleae, Papilionoideae, Leguminosae) in Brazil, Phytotaxa 134 (1), pp. 1-26 : 8

11. Galactia gracillima Bentham (1859: 142) . Type: — BRAZIL. São Paulo: Capivari, Saint-Hilaire C 2-1326 (lectotype P). ( Fig. 1C ) .

Twining herb up to 1 m long; petiole up to 30 mm long, leaves digitately trifoliolate; inflorescences 2–4 flowered sessile, axillary.

Selected specimen: — BRAZIL. Santa Catarina: Campos Novos , 27°29”S, 51°20’W, 12 January 2008, G. B. Ceolin 133 (ICN) .

Distribution: — Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Brazil (DF, GO, PR. RS. SC. SP).

Habitat and ecology:—Cerrado, Mata Atlantica, and Pampa, growing in grassland, generally twining on other herbs, in clay, sandy and rocky soils. G. gracillima is resistant to drought, grazing, and fire because it is able to resprout after disturbance.

Notes: —some taxonomic keys use the fragile habit of this species, with its soft, thin branches, as a diagnostic character. However, some individuals exposed to full sunlight, in shallow and stony soils, may have a woody base and a certain degree of secondary growth of the stem. Furthermore, some individuals may have very coriaceous leaflets. Such polymorphic traits are not good diagnostic characters for the species because they depend on the environment in which the specimen is growing.

Phenology:— Flowering and fruiting from July to March.

Figures

FIGURE 1: A. Galactia latisiliqua. B. Galactia marginalis. C. Galactia gracillima. D. Galactia neesii.