Adenolobus

Taxonomy

Adenolobus (W.H. Harvey ex G. Bentham & J.D. Hooker) A.R. da Torre & J.O.D. Hillcoat Bol. Soc. Brot. ser. 2. 29: 37. Apr 1956 ('1955').

Subfamily: Caesalpinioideae.
Phylogenetic Number: 1.3.02.
Tribe: Cercideae.
Subtribe: Cercidinae.
Species Studied - Species in Genus: 2 studied; 2 in genus.

Description

Fruit: A legume; unilocular; 1.8–3 cm long; 0.8–1.8 cm wide; 0.1–0.2 cm thick; length less than twice as long as width to 2–9 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; not twisted; symmetrical, or asymmetrical; falcate, or C-shaped, or reniform; with both sutures unequally curved, or both sutures parallelly curved, or 1 straight and 1 curved suture; widest near middle or D-shaped, or widest near apex; not inflated; flattened; without beak; long tapered at apex to tapered at apex; right-angled with longitudinal axis of fruit; short tapered at base; aligned with longitudinal axis of fruit to oblique with longitudinal axis of fruit; with the apex and base uniform in texture; coriaceous; seed chambers externally visible; margin not constricted; margin without sulcus; margin plain; wing(s) absent; stipitate; with the stipe 8–30 mm long; with all layers dehiscing; splitting along suture(s). Dehiscence of valves along both sutures (initially along the dorsal margin, then tardily along the ventral margin; stipe splitting for part of its length); medial and up and down; passive. Replum invisible. Epicarp dull; monochrome; yellowish brown, or tan, or red (pinkish); with surface texture uniform; glabrous, or pubescent and indurate; with hairs erect; eglandular, or glandular; without spines; not smooth; with elevated features; veined (long parallel anastomising veins arising from ventral margin and similar but much shorter veins arising from dorsal margin); transversely veined relative to fruit length; not tuberculate; not exfoliating; without cracks; without embedded tissue, much thicker than epicarp, running from base to apex. Mesocarp absent. Endocarp present; visible; glossy; opaque; monochrome; golden yellow; without adhering pieces of testa; nonseptate; not exfoliating; entire. Seed(s) 3–10 (often only 3 mature seeds); length parallel with fruit length to transverse to fruit length; overlapping to neither overlapping nor touching; in 1 series. Funiculus 1.5–2 mm long; of 1 length only; thick; straight. Aril absent.

Seed: 7 mm long; 3–5 mm wide; 2 mm thick; not overgrown; not angular; symmetrical; pyriform; flattened; 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; bichrome (streaked); olive brown, black, and tan; glabrous; not smooth; with elevated features; on pebbled surface covered by thick tan to white cuticle which is often blistered or exfoliated, or tuberculate, or warty (warts irregular and scattered); osseous. Pleurogram absent. Pseudopleurogram absent. Fracture lines absent. Rim absent. Wing(s) absent. Raphe not visible. Hilum present; fully concealed; concealed by funicular remnant (faint and silver); without faboid split; larger than punctiform; 7 mm long; with straight outline; oblong; subapical to radicle tip; flush (in a well defined circular depression); not within corona, halo, or rim. Lens discernible; 2–3 mm long; with margins curved; circular; not in groove of raphe; mounded to flush; dissimilar color from testa; brown to gray; not within corona, halo, or rim. Endosperm absent. 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 (concealing only the basal margins of the radicle); with lobes; with lobes not touching; 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 to oblique to length of seed; without a joint evident between the radicle and the cotyledons. Radicle differentiated from cotyledon; centered between cotyledons. Plumule rudimentary; glabrous.

Distribution

Southwestern Africa.

Old World; Southwestern Africa.

Generic Notes

Brummitt and Ross (1976) monographed the genus.