Mimosa strigillosa

Herbs, procumbent, 0.1–0.5 m, armed or unarmed. Stems terete, strigose to strigulose; prickles sparse along internodes, recurved. Leaves: stipules widely ovate, 2–4.5 mm, striate, glabrous; petiole 1–7.5 cm; primary rachis 1–8 cm; pinnae 3–7 pairs; leaflets (8–)10–15(–19) pairs, blades obliquely linear to oblong, 3–5.5(–8) × 0.5–1.5 mm, margins strigulose, parallel veins prominent abaxially, apex acute to mucronate, surfaces glabrous. Peduncles (2–)3–34 cm. Inflorescences 80–140-flowered, axillary, subglobose capitula, solitary, 12–30 mm diam.; bracts spatulate, 1/2 corolla length. Pedicels 0 mm. Flowers bisexual and staminate; calyx campanulate, lobes 4, 1/6 corolla length; corolla purplish pink, strigose, lobes 4, 1/3 corolla length; stamens 8, filaments connate in a tube 1/4–1/3 corolla length, pink; ovary stipitate, strigose; style attenuate at apex; stigma poriform. Legumes stipitate, straight, obliquely oblong, 10–28 × 6–9 mm, constricted between seeds, valves with 1–4 segments, margin unarmed, strigose, apex mucronate, faces strigose to strigulose; stipe 1–2 mm. Seeds 1–4, brown, elliptic or lenticular, 3.5–6.5 × 2.8–4.2 × 1–1.5 mm, testa porous, fissural line 90–95%.

Phenology: Flowering Apr–Nov; fruiting May–Nov.
Habitat: Pine woods, along rivers in sandy loam, well-drained, open areas, meadows, dry sandy or clay soils and ditches, sandy roadsides.
Elevation: 0–150 m.

Ark., Fla., Ga., La., Miss., Okla., Tex., Mexico (Tamaulipas, Veracruz), South America (Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay).

Discussion

Mimosa strigillosa is widely distributed in the southeastern United States throughout most of Florida, Charlton County in Georgia, scattered parishes in Louisiana, Washington County in Mississippi, and in coastal Texas and scattered counties inland in north, central, and south Texas.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa