Ormocarpopsis

Taxonomy

Ormocarpopsis R. Viguier Notul. Syst. (Paris) 14: 170. Nov 1951.

Subfamily: Faboideae.
Phylogenetic Number: 3.14.02.
Tribe: Aeschynomeneae.
Subtribe: Ormocarpinae.
Species Studied - Species in Genus: 1 studied; 6 in genus.

Description

Fruit: A legume, or a nutlet; unilocular; 1.8–5 cm long; 1–2.3 cm wide; 1.3–2 cm thick; length less than twice as long as width; with deciduous androecial sheath, or persistent androecial sheath; with deciduous corolla; with persistent calyx; with calyx shorter than fruit; without orifice formed by curving of fruit or fruit segments; straight; not plicate; not twisted; asymmetrical; oblong, or elliptic to circular (sub); with both sutures parallelly curved; not inflated; terete; with beak; straight; rounded at apex; aligned with longitudinal axis of fruit; tapered at base to rounded at base; aligned with longitudinal axis of fruit; with the apex and base uniform in texture; coriaceous to ligneous (Du Puy et al., 2002); seed chambers externally invisible; margin not constricted; margin without sulcus; margin embellished; wing(s) absent; stipitate; with the stipe 4–18 mm long; indehiscent. Replum invisible. Epicarp dull; monochrome; greenish brown; with surface texture uniform; glabrous, or pubescent and indurate to pubescent but soon deciduous; with hairs erect; with 1 type of pubescence; with pubescence uniformly distributed; with glandular hairs; with hair bases swollen; glandular; with glandular hairs; distributed over entire fruit; without spines; not smooth; with elevated features; not veined; tuberculate (formed from swollen bases of glandular hairs, Du Puy et al., 2002), or not tuberculate; with solid tubercles on each valve (minute); warty (bases of glandular hairs, Du Puy et al., 2002), or tuberculate; not exfoliating; without cracks; without embedded tissue, much thicker than epicarp, running from base to apex. Mesocarp present (and streaked with purple); thin; surface not veined; 1-layered; without balsamic vesicles; without fibers; without reniform canals; solid; coriaceous. Endocarp present; visible; dull; opaque; monochrome; tan; smooth; without adhering pieces of testa; nonseptate; chartaceous; exfoliating; separating from mesocarp; without wings; entire. Seed(s) 1–3(–4) (Du Puy et al., 2002); length parallel with fruit length. Funiculus of 1 length only; thick; straight. Aril absent.

Seed: 10–20 mm long; 9–16 mm wide; (6–)9–11 mm thick; overgrown, 1 seed filling entire fruit cavity; not angular; asymmetrical; ovate, or elliptic, or quadrangular; terete; 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; dull; not modified by a bloom; colored; monochrome; reddish or pale brown to brown; glabrous; not smooth; with elevated features; shagreen; coriaceous. Pleurogram absent. Pseudopleurogram absent. Fracture lines absent. Rim absent. Wing(s) absent. Raphe not visible. Hilum present; visible; without faboid split; larger than punctiform; 1.5 mm long; with straight outline; linear; marginal according to radicle tip; flush; not within corona, halo, or rim. Lens discernible; 2.5 mm long; with margins straight, or curved; oblong; oblong; not in groove of raphe; confluent with hilum; mounded; similar color as testa; darker than testa; reddish brown; not within corona, halo, or rim. Endosperm absent. Cotyledons not smooth, or smooth; wrinkled, or wrinkled and 1–3 grooves on each face; both outer faces convex; both the same thickness; both more or less of equal length; not folded; margin not entire 180 degrees from base of radicle; notched, or notched and bearing flaps; similar at apex; completely concealing radicle; split over radicle; with lobes; with lobes touching (auriculate), or not touching; with basal groin formed by lobes; with the interface division terminating at base of radicle; without margins recessed; brown; inner face concave (in center with varying width rim around the depression); glabrous on inner face. Embryonic axis straight; parallel to length of seed to oblique to length of seed; with a joint evident between the radicle and the cotyledons. Radicle differentiated from cotyledon; triangular; lobe tip straight; straight with embryonic axis; centered between cotyledons; less than 1/2 length of cotyledons. Plumule well developed; pubescent (at the base and glabrous at the apex).

Distribution

Madagascar.

Old World; Madagascar.

Tribal Notes

Tribe Aeschynomeneae

Rudd (1981a) recognized four subtribes of Aeschynomeneae: Ormocarpinae V.E. Rudd (genera 3.14.01–3.14.08), Aeschynomeninae (genera 3.14.09–3.14.16), Discolobinae (A.E. Burkart) V.E. Rudd (genus 3.14.17: Discolobium), Poiretiinae (A.E. Burkart) V.E. Rudd (genera 3.14.18–3.14.21), and Stylosanthinae (G. Bentham) V.E. Rudd (genera 3.14.22–13.4.26). Tribal and subtribal placement of Diphysa is based on Lavin (1987; Polhill, 1994a, 1994b), and not on Polhill and Sousa (1981), who placed Diphysa in Robinieae. Bailey et al. (1997), using the chloroplast rpl2 intron and ORF184, suggested that Brya (11.01), Cranocarpus (11.02), Phylacium (11.22), and Neocollettia (11.26) are not members of Desmodieae (11) and that they probably belong in Aeschynomeneae.