Schrankia microphylla (Dryand. ex Sm.) J.F.Macbr.

  • Authority

    Isley, Duane. 1973. Leguminosae of the United States: I. Subfamily. Mimosoideae. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 25 (1): 1-152.

  • Family

    Mimosaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Schrankia microphylla (Dryand. ex Sm.) J.F.Macbr.

  • Description

    Species Description - Stems clustered, from a heavy, woody root, trailing to scrambling and arching, to 1 m, filiform to robust, slightly to intensely prickly, glabrous or puberulent, ribbed-terete, or when filiform quadrangular. Pinnae (4, s Florida) 6-8(-11) pairs; leaflets 9-12 pairs, shortly oblong, 2-4 (-6) mm long, .6-1 mm wide, glabrate, only the midvein evident. Stipules 3-5(-6) mm. Heads bright pink to almost white, (.7-) 1—1.5(—2) cm diam; peduncles (1-)2-4(-6) cm, mostly paired (to 4). Legume usually linear, tetragonal, (3-) 5-10 (-12) cm long, 2 mm wide, slightly to densely prickly; beak obsolete or well developed (to 1.5 cm).

  • Discussion

    Leptoglottis microphylla (Dryand.) Britt. & Rose Schrankia angustata T. & G. Leptoglottis chapmanii Small ex Britt. & Rose Schrankia chapmanii (Britt. & Rose) F. J. Hermann Leptoglottis angustisiliqua Britt. & Rose Schrankia angustisiliqua (Britt. & Rose) F. J. Hermann Schrankia uncinata auct. CN 2n 16 (Atchison, 1949; as S. angustata); see discussion of chromosome base number for this genus. Shrankia microphylla and S. nuttallii are the two widely distributed species in the United States, the former primarily of the coastal plain and the latter over the central states. See Isely (1971a) for a variance-profile of S. microphylla. Despite an eventful nomenclatural history, I found S. microphylla (Isely, 1971a) reasonably homogeneous except for two small phenotype groups of problematic nature. These may be contrasted with the major phase as follows: Key to Phases of Schrankia microphylla 1. Legume mostly 5-10 cm, variously prickly; pinnae 6—8(—11) pairs; leaflets 2.5-4 mm; range of species except extreme s Florida. phase microphylla. 1. Legume shorter or pinnae fewer. 2. Legume 3-5 cm, intensely prickly; prickles much widened to base; pinnae 6-9 pairs; leaflets 2.5-4 mm. phase brachycarpa. 2. Legume 6-11 cm, slender, moderately prickly; pinnae mostly 4-5 pairs; leaflets ca 2 mm; s Florida. phase angustisiliqua. phase angustisiliqua Schrankia angustiliqua (Britt. & Rose) F. J. Hermann Florida. Pinelands, pine-palmetto, disturbed areas. March-May or all year. Schrankia microphylla is progressively less robust as it approaches south Florida. The ideal angustisiliqua, common in southernmost Florida, has few reduced pinnae and leaflets, filiform, square, glabrous stems, flower heads 1 cm or less diam, and sometimes narrowly linear legumes. But clinal progression culminating in this combination of characters does not render taxonomic categorization useful. Long and Lakela (1971) accept S. microphylla for south Florida populations without comment phase brachycarpa S. chapmanii (Britt. & Rose) F. J. Hermann Mississippi, Florida to North Carolina. Phase brachycarpa is apparently a recurrent fruit-form genotype, sporadic throughout the range of the species. I can find no correlated floral or vegetative characters. Thus, it may be more frequent than indicated by herbarium records since the majority of specimens lack fruit.

  • Distribution

    Se coastal plain and adjacent provinces: Virginia, Florida, to e Louisiana. Openings or margins of pine or hardwoods in Florida with turkey oak and pine-palmetto; ruderal, eroded or burnt-over areas; sandy to loam soils. (April) May-June or all year in s Florida.

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