Galactia
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Authority
Acevedo-Rodríguez, Pedro & collaborators. 1996. Flora of St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 78: 1-581.
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Family
Fabaceae
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Scientific Name
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Description
Genus Description - Herbaceous to woody twining vines. Leaves trifoliolate or unifoliolate; petiolules and petioles swollen at base; stipules deciduous; stipels minute or absent. Flowers small, clustered in axillary or terminal pseudoracemes, the bracts and bracteoles minute, deciduous or persistent; calyx bell-shaped, of 4 elongate sepals; corolla mostly pink to lavender or white, less often red, the standard elliptic to rounded, reflexed, narrowed at base, the wings coherent to the keel; stamens 10, diadelphous, unequal; ovary pubescent, sessile, with many ovules, the style curved and glabrous, the stigma capitate. Legume flattened, linear, often slightly curved, beaked at apex, dehiscent by twisting valves; seeds small, few, ovoid, brown.
Distribution and Ecology - A genus of 50 species, primarily distributed in tropical regions of the N e w World.