Fruit: A legume; unilocular; 2–45 cm long; 1.5–8 cm wide; 0.2–1.2 cm thick; length less than twice as long as width to 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 to curved; not plicate; twisted, or not twisted; symmetrical, or asymmetrical; linear to lanceolate, or ovate, or elliptic to oblanceolate, or falcate; with both sutures parallelly curved; not inflated; flattened to compressed; without beak; long tapered at apex; aligned with longitudinal axis of fruit; tapered at base; aligned with longitudinal axis of fruit; with the apex and base uniform in texture; coriaceous to ligneous, or membranous (when fresh); seed chambers externally invisible, or visible; margin constricted, or not constricted; margin slightly constricted only on 1 margin; margin without sulcus; margin plain; wing(s) absent; stipitate to substipitate; with the stipe 6–20 mm long; tardily with all layers dehiscing to indehiscent; splitting along suture(s). Dehiscence of valves passive. Replum invisible. Epicarp dull and glaucous; monochrome; brown to black (reddish); with surface texture uniform; glabrous, or pubescent and indurate; with hairs erect; eglandular; without spines; not smooth; with elevated features; veined; transversely veined relative to fruit length; not tuberculate; exfoliating to not exfoliating; without cracks; without embedded tissue, much thicker than epicarp, running from base to apex. Mesocarp present, or absent; surface not veined; 1-layered, or 2-layered; without balsamic vesicles; without fibers; without reniform canals; solid; with spongy layer over solid layer; ligneous to coriaceous. Endocarp present; visible; dull; opaque; monochrome; tan; without adhering pieces of testa; subseptate to nonseptate; not exfoliating; remaining fused to mesocarp and epicarp; entire. Seed(s) 1–40; length transverse to fruit length; neither overlapping nor touching; in 1 series. Funiculus 0.01–25 mm long; of 1 length only; filiform to thick; plicate. Aril absent.
Seed: 8–17 mm long; 5–10.5 mm wide; 2–6 mm thick; not overgrown; angular, or not angular; symmetrical; ovate, or elliptic, or rectangular, or quadrangular, or circular; terete to compressed; with surface smooth; without visible 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; glossy to dull; not modified by a bloom; colored; monochrome; brown (greenish to blackish); glabrous; smooth; osseous. Pleurogram absent. Pseudopleurogram absent. Fracture lines present; concentric. Rim absent. Wing(s) absent. Raphe not visible ("inconspicuous"). Hilum present; fully concealed; concealed by funicular remnant; without faboid split; punctiform; apical at apex of radicle tip, or subapical to radicle tip; flush; not within corona, halo, or rim. Lens discernible; 0.1–10 mm long; with margins straight, or curved; wedge-shaped; circular; not in groove of raphe; flush to recessed; same color as testa to dissimilar color from testa; black, or tan (center); not within corona, halo, or rim. Endosperm present; thick; not pluglike and not resembling tip of radicle; 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; partially concealing radicle; with lobes; with lobes touching (auriculate), or not touching; without basal groin formed by lobes; with the interface division terminating at base of radicle; without margins recessed; inner face flat; glabrous on inner face. Embryonic axis straight; parallel to length of seed; without a joint evident between the radicle and the cotyledons. Radicle differentiated from cotyledon; centered between cotyledons. Plumule moderately developed; glabrous.
Seed, cotyledon, embryo, and testa: G. sinensis J.B.A.P. de M. de Lamarck - top left cotyledons auriculate and concealing all but tip of radicles (L) and embryonic axis (R); G. triacanthos C. Linnaeus - bottom left cotyledons auriculate and concealing all but tip of radicles (L) and embryonic axis (R), top left center and left center seed topographys, testa SEMs; G. spp. - bottom left center seeds.
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