Tephrosia spicata

Tephrosia spicata
Photo taken by Gil Nelson
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Division:	Magnoliophyta – Flowering plants
Class:	Magnoliopsida – Dicotyledons
Order:	Fabales
Family:	Fabaceae ⁄ Leguminosae
Genus:	Tephrosia
Species:	T. spicata
Binomial name
Tephrosia spicata (Walter) Torr. & A. Gray
Natural range of Tephrosia spicata from USDA NRCS Plants Database.

Common name: spiked hoarypea

Description

"Perennial herbs and shrubs with either monopodial or sympodial branching. Leaves odd-pinnate; leaflets 7-29 or rarely 1-41, entire, glabrous or pubescent above and always pubescent beneath, usually with prominent, parallel, secondary veins, estipellate, inflorescences terminal, axillary or apparently opposite a leaf, more or less racemose, with 2-10, papilionaceous, pedicellate flowers at each node with the cluster subtended by a bract and each pedicels subtended, 5-lobed, the lowers the long longest; petals clawed; stamens monadelphous or diadelphous. Legume sessile, linear, straight or slightly curved, usually compressed, nonseptate, dehiscing into 2 separate valves." - Radford et al 1964

"Perennial herb from a cylindric taproot; stems decumbent to erect, mostly 3-6 dm long, densely pilose or occasionally sparsely appressed pubescent. Leaves 4-12 cm long; leaflets 9-17, oblong-obovate to obovate or elliptic, 1-2.7 (3.7) cm long, 6-14 mm wide, glabrous to finely pilose above, somewhat appressed to spreading short-pubescent to pilose below. Principal inflorescences appearing opposite the leaf or terminal, 4-60 cm long, usually longer than nearest leaf, erect or upwardly curving with a terete or angled peduncle and rachis with persistent, lanceolate to linear bracts; pedicels 1-8 mm long. Calyx 6-7 mm long, sparsely to more typically densely pilose or villous; petals at first white, turning pink then carmine (drying purplish), 1.2-1.7 cm long; stamens diadelphous. Legume 3-5 cm long, 4-6 mm broad, sparsely to moderately pubescent, trichomes more than 0.6 mm long." - Radford et al 1964

Ecology

Habitat

Tephrosia spicata can be found in coastal hammocks; wiregrass/pine communities; pine savannas; mixed hardwood forests; longleaf pine-turkey oak hills; turkey oak barrens; and longleaf pine scrub oak sand ridges (FSU Herbarium; Kirkman et al. 2004). It has been found in human disturbed areas such as railroad beds, cut over pine flatwoods, and roadsides. Soil types include loamy sand, sandy loam, clay soil, sand, sandy peat, and sandy clay (FSU Herbarium). Associated species include Phlox floridana, Calamintha dentata, Canna, Sambucus, Aristida stricta, Rhynchospora, Tephrosia floridana and T. chrysophylla (FSU Herbarium).

Phenology

It has been recorded flowering and fruiting May through October (FSU Herbarium).

Seed dispersal

According to Kay Kirkman, a plant ecologist, this species disperses by gravity.

Fire ecology

It has been found in recently burned longleaf pine communities (FSU Herbarium).

References and notes

Florida State University Robert K. Godfrey Herbarium database. URL: http://herbarium.bio.fsu.edu. Last accessed: October 2015. Collectors: W.P. Adams, Loran C. Anderson, Wilson Baker, C. Ritchie Bell, WM. M. CanbyA.F. Clewell, K. Craddock Burks, H.S. Daoud, ,R.A. Davidson, J.A. Duke, J. Kevin England, R.K. Godfrey, J.B. Hilmon, S.C. Hood, Clarke Hudson, C. Jackson, Ed Keppner, Lisa Keppner, R. Komarek, Mabel Kral, R. Kral, O. Lakela, Richard S. Mitchell, R.A. Norris, Kevin Oakes, R.C. Phillips, Gwynn W. Ramsey, James D. Ray Jr., H.R. Reed, A.B. Seymour, Cecil Slaughter, R.F. Thorne, Rodie White, Mary Margaret Williams. States and Counties: Alabama: Geneva, Marengo. Florida: Alachua, Bay, Calhoun, Charlotte, Citrus, Duval, Franklin, Gadsden, Gulf, Hernando, Hillsborough, Jackson, Jefferson, Liberty, Leon, Madison, Marion, Pasco, Polk,Wakulla. Georgia: Grady, Thomas. Maryland: Salisbury. Mississippi: Forrest, Jackson, Marion, Newton, Ocean Springs, Pike, Poplarville. North Carolina: Rutherford, Wayne. South Carolina: Marion. Virginia: Greensville. Compiled by Tall Timbers Research Station and Land Conservancy.

Kirkman, L.K., K.L. Coffey, R.J. Mitchell, and E.B. Moser. 2004. Ground Cover Recovery Patterns and Life-History Traits: Implications for Restoration Obstacles and Opportunities in a Species-Rich Savanna. Journal of Ecology 92:409-421

Radford, Albert E., Harry E. Ahles, and C. Ritchie Bell. Manual of the Vascular Flora of the Carolinas. 1964, 1968. The University of North Carolina Press. 626. Print.