Baptisia lanceolata var. tomentosa (Larisey) Isely
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Authority
Isely, Duane. 1981. Leguminosae of the United States. III. Subfamily Papilionoideae: tribes Sophoreae, Podalyrieae, Loteae. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 25 (3): 1-264.
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Family
Fabaceae
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Scientific Name
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Description
Variety Description - Petioles of lower leaves usually 3-10 mm, those of upper leaves shorter or lacking; leaflets diverse in proportions, most commonly 1.8-3 r, those of lower leaves 1.7-2.5 r, to 2 cm or more broad (sometimes 4-9 cm long, narrow or wide on a single plant), coriaceous, rounded or acute at apex, glabrate to densely puberulent-strigulose beneath; flowers usually 3-10 in short inflorescences, but occasionally 1-2; fruits ellipsoid to short-lancoid and to 2 r or more.
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Discussion
B. lanceolata var [beta] T. & G. (1840). B. elliptica Small (1903). B. elliptica var tomentosa Larisey (1940); B. lanceolata var tomentosa (Larisey) Isely (1978). Baptisia lanceolata var tomentosa is perhaps the most motley taxon in the Southeast. Some plants are only arbitrarily distinguishable from var lanceolata and others somewhat resemble B. cinerea. Larisey (1940a) divided it (as B. elliptica) into two varieties based on amount of pubescence, especially of the lower leaf surfaces, a feature geographically correlated in that the most “tomentose” plants are primarily of the western portion of the range. But variance is quantitative and range orientation irregular. Baptisia lanceolata var tomentosa possesses combinations of characters of B. lanceolata and B. cinerea. Possibly its diversity is due to past introgression with B. cinerea. Erratic fruiting might indicate meiotic difficulties. There is, however, no definitive supporting evidence for this premise, and Horne (1965) detected no significant chemical differences among four “representative” populations of B. lanceolata. But perhaps flavonoid differentiation is conservative in this group. The Horne data also showed neglible differentiation between B. lanceolata and B. nuttalliana of the south-central states that all workers agree is a different species. The disjunct populations of Hillsborough and Polk co, Florida are of the glabrate form. Their leaves are consistently short-petioled, but apparently they do not otherwise differ from their more northern congeners.
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Distribution
Range as given in key. Mixed woodlands, turkey oak scrub, moist or dry pineland or pine-palmetto; sand ridges, savannas, pastures, locally common. March-May.
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