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Floristic Inventory of the Florida Keys Database Online

Galactia parvifolia A. Rich.
Small-flowered milkpea

Galactia parvifolia
Copyright by: George D. Gann

Family: Fabaceae

Group: Dicot

Substrate: Terrestrial

Habit: Vine

Perennation: Perennial

Native Range: South Florida and the West Indies (Bahamas, Greater Antilles).

IRC SOUTH FLORIDA Status: Rare

Map of select IRC data for peninsular Florida

SOUTH FLORIDA Occurrence: Present

SOUTH FLORIDA Native Status: Native

SOUTH FLORIDA Cultivated Status: Cultivated

Comments: This is the twining Galactia with narrow leaflets 2–4(–6) mm wide, and mostly >4 times at long as wide, in the Florida Keys and the interior of Miami-Dade County. Franck (2017) separates this from the otherwise West Indian Galactia parvifolia as the endemic Galactia austrofloridensis, based on its long inflorescences. Nesom (2015) treats this as Galactia grisebachii, which is placed into synonymy under Galactia parvifolia by the Flora of the West Indies and ITIS. Many specimens of Galactia volubilis in South Florida approach this taxon in leaf shape.

Synonyms: Galactia grisebachii; Galactia volubilis of Wunderlin 1998, in part, not (L.) Britton; Galactia regularis of Wunderlin & Hansen 2011, in part, not (L.) Britton, Sterns, & Poggenb.

FLORIDA KEYS Occurrence: Present

FLORIDA KEYS Native Status: Native

IRC FLORIDA KEYS Status: Rare

Map of select IRC data for the Florida Keys

Florida Keys History and Distribution: Reported in 1913 by John Kunkel Small for pinelands and hammocks in the lower Keys.  We consider this native and extant throughout the Florida Keys.

Other data on Galactia parvifolia available from :


Galactia parvifolia has been reported from the following 12 conservation areas in the FLORIDA KEYS :
Occurrence Native Status
Bahia Honda State Park Present Native
Blue Heron Hammock, Florida Keys Wildlife and Environmental Area Present Native
Curry Hammock State Park Present Native
Dove Creek Hammocks, Florida Keys Wildlife and Environmental Area Present Native
Dry Tortugas National Park Present Native
Great White Heron National Wildlife Refuge Present Native
John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park Reported
Key West National Wildlife Refuge Present Native
Long Key State Park Reported
National Key Deer Refuge Present Native
Spoonbill Sound Hammocks, Florida Keys Wildlife and Environmental Area Present Native
Sugarloaf Hammocks, Florida Keys Wildlife and Environmental Area Present Native




Galactia parvifolia has been reported for the following 3 habitats in THE FLORIDA KEYS :
Beach Dune
Disturbed Upland
Pine Rockland


All Images:

Galactia parvifolia
Copyright by: George D. Gann