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Erect Milkpea

Galactia erecta

Found in longleaf pine sandhills. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Florida edition What its natural habitat tells you

76
Strong

Native to Florida. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 94%

Height
Up to about 16 inches
Light
Full sun
Soil moisture
Dry to moist
Will it fit your yard?

At a glance

Life cycle
Perennial
Bloom
April to July
Fruiting season
July to September

Not yet recorded · Spread · Leaves

Recorded in 18 Florida counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

Sandhills

Dry, deep-sand ridges with longleaf pine and turkey oak, kept open by fire.

All habitats

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Florida. Shared habitat, not food. 79 animals.

All wildlife of Florida

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

12CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including FL

Genus host records with ranges including FL · Galactia

  • Automeris ioIo Moth
  • Cecropterus dorantesDorantes Longtail, Lilac-Banded Longtail
  • Cecropterus pyladesNorthern Cloudywing
  • Cupido comyntasEastern Tailed-Blue
  • Epargyreus zestosZestos Skipper
  • Gesta zaruccoZarucco Duskywing
  • Leptotes cassiusCassius Blue, Tropical Striped Blue
  • Parectopa robiniellaLocust Digitate Leafminer
  • Strymon melinusGray Hairstreak
  • Urbanus proteusLong-Tailed Skipper, Bean Leaf Roller
Show all 12
  • Acalyptris tenuijuxtus
  • Antaeotricha floridella
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
30BeesSoutheastern regional records

Southeastern regional records · Galactia

Individual names are not available yet.

Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
2Specialist beesPollen specialists

Pollen specialists · Galactia

  • Megachile brimleyi
  • Megachile integra
Smith, Bachelder, Russell, Morales, Mosher & Seltmann 2024, Bee-Specialization-Modeling v0.6.1 (specialist host table compiled from J. Fowler's pollen specialist bee lists), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
5BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Galactia

  • Colinus virginianusNorthern Bobwhite
  • Cyrtonyx montezumaeMontezuma Quail
  • Francolinus francolinusBlack Francolin
  • Peucaea aestivalisBachman's Sparrow
  • Sturnus vulgarisEuropean Starling
Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)

Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening

No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Fabaceae
Flower color
White or purple
Fruit begins
July
Fruit ends
September

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope

Conservation status

Florida rankSNR
Global rankG4
FL statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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Sources