Strophostyles umbellata

Strophostyles umbellata, commonly known as the pink fuzzybean[3][4] or perennial wild bean,[5][6] is a species of perennial flowering plant in the family Fabaceae. It is native to fields and woods in the southeastern and central United States. It blooms from June to September.[7]

Strophostyles umbellata
Strophostyles umbellata
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Rosids
Order:	Fabales
Family:	Fabaceae
Genus:	Strophostyles
Species:	S. umbellata
Binomial name
Strophostyles umbellata (Muhl. ex Willd.) Britton, 1897
Synonyms[1] [2]
Phaseolus umbellatus Britton Strophostyles umbellata var. paludigena Fernald Strophostyles umbellata var. umbellata

This species is best distinguished from its congeners by its thick, relatively straight keel petal, held close to the banner petal. It also uniquely possesses a perennial, branched caudex at its base. It is most similar morphologically to S. helvola, the differences being that S. helvola has a much thinner keel, curving away more from the banner petal throughout its length. Its leaf morphology can be highly variable, ranging from the highly lobed panduriform shape typical of Strophostyles helvola, to the thin, sericeous, lanceolate leaf typical of S. leiosperma.[8]

S. umbellata individuals tend to be scattered from one another, which, possibly combined with self-incompatibility, can contribute to their observed low pod set. Like S. helvola, its seeds also possess a cellular, waxy coating, which may aide in buoyancy and water dispersal.[8]

References

1. http://www.tropicos.org/Name/13001562
2. http://www.theplantlist.org/tpl1.1/search?q=strophostyles+umbellata
3. "Strophostyles umbellata". Natural Resources Conservation Service PLANTS Database. USDA. Retrieved 4 December 2015.
4. "Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center - The University of Texas at Austin". www.wildflower.org. Retrieved 2018-09-23.
5. "Taxonomy - GRIN-Global Web v 1.10.3.6". npgsweb.ars-grin.gov. Retrieved 2018-09-23.
6. "ITIS Standard Report Page: Strophostyles umbellata". www.itis.gov. Retrieved 2018-09-23.
7. Justice, William S.; Bell, C. Ritchie; Lindsey, Anne H. (2005). Wild Flowers of North Carolina (2. printing. ed.). Chapel Hill, NC: Univ. of North Carolina Press. p. 132. ISBN 978-0807855973.
8. Riley-Hulting, Erin T.; Delgado-Salinas, Alfonso; Lavin, Matt (2004). "Phylogenetic Systematics of Strophostyles (Fabaceae): A North American Temperate Genus within a Neotropical Diversification". Systematic Botany. 29 (3): 627–653. doi:10.1600/0363644041744464. JSTOR 25063997.