Aeschynomene virginica (L.) Britton, Sterns & Poggenb.
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Authority
Rudd, Velva E. 1955. The American species of Aeschynomene. Contr. U. S. Natl. Herb. 32: 1-172.
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Family
Fabaceae
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Scientific Name
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Type
Type Locality: Wet stream bank of the Rappahannock River, Middlesex County, Va. Syntypes collected by Clayton, Nos. 564 and 614, the latter cited below.
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Description
Description - Stem up to nearly 3 m. high, glabrous to hispid; stipules about 10 mm. long, acute at apex and base, entire, sometimes ciliate, often hyaline-margined; leaves about 5-12 cm. long, 30-55-foliolate, the petiole and rachis sparsely hispid; leaflets 10-25 mm. long, about 2-3 mm. wide, entire or rarely with a few tuberculate marginal hairs; peduncles and pedicels hispid; bracts ovate-cordate, about 6 mm. long, 2-3 mm. wide, acuminate, denticulate, sometimes laciniate, ciliate; bracteolcs lanceolate-ovate, about 4 mm. long, 2-3 mm. wide, acute, denticulate-ciliate; flowers 10-15 mm. long; calyx 5-7 mm. long; standard commonly 12 mm. long, the claw 2 mm. long, the blade orbiculate, about 10 mm. in diameter, ciliate, emarginate; wings about 10 mm. long, the claw 3 mm. long, the blade about 7 mm. long and 4 mm. wide, sparsely ciliate; keel petals about 10 mm. long, the claw 2 mm. long, the blade about 8 mm. long and 3 mm. wide, entire; stamens about 10-15 mm. long; fruit 3-10- (commonly 6-9-) articulate, the upper edge entire ,the lower somewhat crenate, the stipe about 12-25 mm. long, glabrous or somewhat hispid, the articles 4.5-7 mm. in diameter, sparsely hispid, glabrate, usually verrucose; seeds 4.5-6 mm. long, about 3 mm. wide, brown.
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Discussion
The large, long-stiped fruit, the fairly large flowers, and the essentially entire leaflets enable one to distinguish this rather localized species from its near relatives in the series. The photograph of Clayton's No. 614, one of the syntypes of Hedysarum virginicum, on which Ae. virginica is based, readily identifies that species with the collections cited above. Likewise, photographs of two specimens from the Willdenow Herbarium, presumably syntypes of Ae. hispida, furnished through the courtesy of the late Dr. K. Pilger of the Botanische Museum, Berlin-Dahlem, indicate that that species is synonymous with Ae. virginica. Collections from almost all parts of the American tropics have been identified and distributed as Ae. virginica or Ae. hispida. Most consistent has been the inclusion of the specimens from the southern United States ascribed, in this paper, to Ae. indica. Fernald (Rhodora 41: 466. 1939) recognized and stated the outstanding differences between "true Aeschynomene virginica" and "the plant growing from Texas to southeastern North Carolina and there erroneously passing as Ae. virginica." He suggested that the southern species might be Ae. hispida, but at that time he was unable to secure type material for comparison.
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Common Names
sensitive joint-vetch, bastard sensitive plant