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Galactia regularis
Also called Downy Milkpea, Eastern Milk Pea
Galactia regularis, the downy milk pea or eastern milkpea, is a perennial species of herb or vine in the bean family. It is native to the entire southeastern United States, from Texas east to Florida, north to New Jersey and west through Kansas. Its historical range included New York state, but is presumed extirpated by NatureServe. Some record exists of a range extending to Cuba, but this is not supported by current observations.
The plant is eaten by bobwhite quail and is a host of the Io moth. Its flowers are visited by Megachile brimleyi, white-footed leaf-cutter bee, golden sweat bee and common little leaf-cutter bee. As a legume it retains a symbiotic relationship with the nitrogen-fixing bacteria Rhizobia. Its status as a relatively uncommon or potentially threatened species within some states, despite overall security, may in part be a result of the proliferation of introduced species such as Galactia officinalis. G. regularis has been described as "gap-dependent" where the plant is adapted to benefit from fires in forests or shrublands, taking advantage of the new gaps in canopy cover.
Erect Milkpea · Elliott's milkpea · Erect milkpea · Soft milkpea · Small's milkpea · Galactia tenuiflora · Downy milkpea · Milkpea
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Galactia regularis by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts are shared under the same licence.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
