Cascaronia

Taxonomy

Cascaronia A.H.R Grisebach Goett. Abh. 24: 100. 1879.

Subfamily: Faboideae.
Phylogenetic Number: 3.4.16.
Tribe: Dalbergieae.
Group: Dalbergia.
Species Studied - Species in Genus: 1 studied; 1 in genus.

Description

Fruit: A legume; unilocular; 2–3.5 cm long; 0.6–1.2 cm wide; 0.1–0.22 cm thick; 2–9 times longer than wide; with deciduous androecial sheath; with deciduous corolla; with persistent calyx; with calyx shorter than fruit; without orifice formed by curving of fruit or fruit segments; straight, or curved (slightly); not plicate; not twisted; asymmetrical, or symmetrical; elliptic (oblong), or oblong; with both sutures nearly straight, or 1 straight and 1 curved suture; widest near middle or D-shaped; not inflated; flattened; with beak (very short, ca. 0.5 mm long); straight; with solid beak the same color and texture as fruit; short tapered at apex; aligned with longitudinal axis of fruit; long tapered at base, or tapered at base; aligned with longitudinal axis of fruit, or oblique with longitudinal axis of fruit; with the apex and base uniform in texture; membranous; seed chambers externally invisible; margin not constricted; margin without sulcus; margin embellished, or plain; margin with wing(s) (no texture difference between seed chamber and wing: whole fruit acts as samara); wing(s) absent, or present; wing(s) 1; wing(s) 0.5–1.5 mm wide; wing(s) sutural (on ventral suture); wing(s) on 1 suture (ventrally); substipitate; with the stipe ca. 2 mm long; indehiscent. Replum invisible. Epicarp dull; monochrome; brown to tan (with reddish-brown glands); with surface texture uniform; glabrous; glandular; with glandular dots; distributed over entire fruit (apical and basal glands smaller than central ones); without spines; not smooth; with elevated features; veined; longitudinally veined relative to fruit length (radiating from base), or reticulately veined (somewhat); not tuberculate; glandular dotted; not exfoliating; without cracks; without embedded tissue, much thicker than epicarp, running from base to apex. Mesocarp present; thin; surface not veined; 1-layered; without balsamic vesicles; without fibers; without reniform canals; solid; coriaceous. Endocarp present; visible; dull; opaque; monochrome; white, or tan (slmost white); smooth; without adhering pieces of testa; nonseptate; chartaceous; not exfoliating; remaining fused to mesocarp and epicarp; without wings, or with wing(s) extending into epicarp; entire. Seed(s) 1(–2); length parallel with fruit length; neither overlapping nor touching; in 1 series. Funiculus 0.1–0.2 mm long; of 1 length only; filiform; straight. Aril absent.

Seed: 5–7 mm long; 1.5–3 mm wide; ca. 0.5 mm thick; not overgrown; not angular; asymmetrical; reniform (elongate); compressed; with surface smooth; with visible radicle and cotyledon lobes; without external groove between radicle and cotyledon lobes; without hilar sinus; 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; dull; not modified by a bloom; colored; monochrome; brownish white, or brown (reddish); glabrous; smooth; coriaceous (assumed). Pleurogram absent. Pseudopleurogram absent. Fracture lines absent. Rim absent. Wing(s) absent. Raphe visible; from hilum through lens to base of seed and terminating; not bifurcating; darker than testa; reddish brown to brown; recessed. Hilum present; visible; without faboid split; larger than punctiform; ca. 0.3 mm long; with curved outline; elliptic; between cotyledon and radicle lobe; recessed; not within corona, halo, or rim. Lens discernible; ca. 0.3 mm long; with margins curved; circular; in groove of raphe; adjacent to hilum; ca. 0.1 mm from hilum; mounded; similar color as testa; darker than testa; brown (reddish); not within corona, halo, or rim. Endosperm absent. Cotyledons smooth; both outer faces flat; 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; notched at radicle; with lobes; with lobes not touching; without basal groin formed by lobes; with the interface division terminating at base of radicle; without margins recessed; white; inner face flat; glabrous on inner face. Embryonic axis straight; perpendicular to length of seed; without a joint evident between the radicle and the cotyledons. Radicle differentiated from cotyledon; bulbose; lobe tip straight; deflexed and parallel to cotyledon width; centered between cotyledons; less than 1/2 length of cotyledons. Plumule rudimentary; glabrous.

Distribution

Bolivia and Argentina.

New World; South America (Bolivia and Argentina); Argentina.

Generic Notes

The fruit wing is very narrow and runs along the entire length of the ventral suture. The fruit is indehiscent and probably acts like a samara, i.e., is blown a significant distance from the tree.

Tribal Notes

Tribe Dalbergieae

Lima (1989) analyzed the morphological characters of fruits, seeds and seedlings of the tribe and his characters and illustrations were used as a much appreciated source of accurate data. He also discussed the phylogeny of the tribe. Sousa and Sousa (1981) provided data to support their conclusion that the New World Lonchocarpinae be considered for tribal status: A segregate of the Dalbergieae. Hauman (1954) provided data on the Dalbergieae of Central Africa, and Lock (1989) listed the Dalbergieae for all of Africa. Thothathri (1986) reviewed the taxonomic status and systematic position of Asiatic Dalbergieae, and monographed tribe Dalbergieae for the Indian subcontinent (Thothathri, 1987). Morphological (Lima 1989) and molecular (Doyle et al. 1997) evidence has indicated that tribe Dalbergieae is polyphyletic.