Anagyris

Taxonomy

Anagyris C. Linnaeus Sp. Pl. 374. 1 Mai 1753.

Subfamily: Faboideae.
Phylogenetic Number: 3.29.03.
Tribe: Thermopsideae.
Species Studied - Species in Genus: 2 studied; 1 in genus, or 2 in genus.

Description

Fruit: A legume; unilocular; 10–13 cm long (estimated); 1.5–2 cm wide; 0.3–1.3 cm thick; 2–9 times longer than wide, or more than 9 times longer than wide; with deciduous androecial sheath; with deciduous corolla; with deciduous calyx; without orifice formed by curving of fruit or fruit segments; straight, or curved (slightly); not plicate; not twisted; symmetrical; broadly linear; not inflated; flattened, or compressed; without beak, or with beak; straight; with solid beak the same color and texture as fruit; tapered at apex, or rounded at apex; aligned with longitudinal axis of fruit (or nearly so); long tapered at base, or rounded at base; aligned with longitudinal axis of fruit (or nearly so); with the apex and base uniform in texture; coriaceous, or ligneous (when dry); seed chambers externally visible; seed chambers with the raised seed chambers not torulose; margin not constricted; margin without sulcus; margin plain; wing(s) absent; stipitate; with the stipe 5–10 mm long; indehiscent. Replum invisible. Epicarp dull; monochrome; brown; with surface texture uniform; glabrous; eglandular; without spines; smooth; not veined; not tuberculate; not exfoliating; without cracks; without embedded tissue, much thicker than epicarp, running from base to apex. Mesocarp present; thick, or thin; surface not veined; 1-layered; without balsamic vesicles; without fibers; without reniform canals; spongy, or solid; coriaceous, or ligneous. Endocarp present; visible; dull; opaque; monochrome; brown; smooth; without adhering pieces of testa; septate; with septa thin (tissue paper-like), flexible; with septa eglandular; chartaceous; not exfoliating; remaining fused to mesocarp and epicarp; without wings; entire. Seed(s) 5; length transverse to fruit length; neither overlapping nor touching; in 1 series. Funiculus of 1 length only; straight. Aril absent.

Seed: 10–15 mm long; 7–10 mm wide; 5–6.7 mm thick; not overgrown; not angular; asymmetrical; elliptic to oblong; compressed; with visible radicle and cotyledon lobes; without external groove between radicle and cotyledon lobes; without umbo on seed faces; without medial ridge on each face. Cuticle not exfoliating; not inflated; not wrinkled. Testa present; without pieces of adhering epicarp; not adhering to endocarp; free from endocarp; glossy; not modified by a bloom; colored; monochrome; dark to light brown, or tan; glabrous; smooth; osseous. Pleurogram absent. Pseudopleurogram absent. Fracture lines absent. Rim absent. Wing(s) absent. Raphe visible; from hilum through lens and terminating before base of seed; not bifurcating; darker than testa; dark reddish brown; flush. Hilum present; visible; with faboid split; with the lips of the faboid split the same color as the rest of the hilum; larger than punctiform; 2 mm long; with curved outline, or straight outline; elliptic; oblong; marginal according to radicle tip; recessed; within rim; rim color of testa. Lens discernible; 1 mm long; with margins curved; circular; not in groove of raphe; adjacent to hilum; 2 mm from hilum; barely mounded; dissimilar color from testa; darker than testa; reddish brown; not within corona, halo, or rim. Endosperm present; thick; not pluglike and not resembling tip of radicle; covering entire embryo; adnate to testa. Cotyledons smooth; both outer faces convex; both the same thickness; both more or less of equal length; not folded; margin entire 180 degrees from base of radicle; similar at apex; not concealing radicle; entire over radicle; without lobes; with the interface division terminating at base of radicle; with margin(s) recessed; yellow; inner face flat; glabrous on inner face. Embryonic axis deflexed; oblique to length of seed; without a joint evident between the radicle and the cotyledons. Radicle differentiated from cotyledon; linear; lobe tip curved; deflexed and parallel to cotyledon length; centered between cotyledons; less than 1/2 length of cotyledons. Plumule moderately developed; glabrous.

Distribution

Mediterranean Europe, Asia Minor, northern Africa, and Canary Islands.

Old World; Europe to Mediterranean to Southwest Asia to Africa to Macaronesia ((Canary Islands, North, Arabia), Asia (Minor)).

Generic Notes

We remain unclear on whether there are one or two species in Anagyris. The other possible species is A. latifolia P.M.A. Broussonet ex C.L. von Willdenow (Hansen and Sundling 1993).

Tribal Notes

Tribe Thermopsideae
Yong-Ming and Ze-Xiang (1990) reevaluated the six genera and forty-seven species in the tribe, and their data confirms Turner (1981). Turner recognized forty-six species and six genera in the tribe.