Amicia

Taxonomy

Amicia K.S. Kunth In Humboldt, Bonpland et Kunth, Nova Gen. Sp. 6: ed. fol. 399. Sep 1824; ed. qu. 511. Sep 1824. Sep 1824.

Subfamily: Faboideae
Phylogenetic Number: 3.14.19.
Tribe: Aeschynomeneae.
Subtribe: Poiretiinae.
Species Studied - Species in Genus: 4 studied; 7 in genus.

Description

Fruit: A loment (or a loment segment); 1–1.5 cm long; 0.2–0.3 cm wide; 0.05–0.09 cm thick; 2–9 times longer than wide; with deciduous androecial sheath; with deciduous corolla; with persistent calyx, or deciduous calyx; with calyx shorter than fruit; without orifice formed by curving of fruit or fruit segments; straight; not plicate; not twisted; asymmetrical; with 1 straight and 1 curved suture; narrowing in several places, resembling Desmodium (3.11.09) fruit; not inflated; compressed; without beak; rounded at apex; aligned with longitudinal axis of fruit; short tapered at base; aligned with longitudinal axis of fruit; with the apex and base uniform in texture; ligneous; seed chambers externally visible; seed chambers with the raised seed chambers not torulose; margin constricted; margin constricted along both margins; margin with sulcus (margins so thickened to create appearance of a sulcus), or without sulcus; margin plain, or embellished; margin with prickles, or wing(s); wing(s) present, or absent; wing(s) 2; wing(s) 1 mm wide; wing(s) valvular; wing(s) on both valves (and compressed to valves); nonstipitate; indehiscent. Replum invisible. Loment an intact article; indehiscent; segments (articles) inconspicuous; segments (articles) 3–4 mm long; segments (articles) widest across seed area; segments (articles) with all essentially similar in shape; segments (articles) D-shaped. Epicarp dull; monochrome, or multicolored; mottled; brown, or gray; with black overlay, or brown overlay; mottling color combination constant; with mottling over seed chambers; with surface texture uniform; glabrous; eglandular; without spines; not smooth; with elevated features; veined, or not veined; reticulately veined; not tuberculate; tuberculate (faintly); not exfoliating; without cracks; without embedded tissue, much thicker than epicarp, running from base to apex. Mesocarp absent. Endocarp present; visible; dull; opaque; monochrome; tan; smooth; without adhering pieces of testa; septate; with septa thicker than paper, firm; with septa eglandular; chartaceous; not exfoliating; remaining fused to epicarp; with wing(s) extending into epicarp, or without wings; entire. Seed(s) 1–5; length parallel with fruit length; neither overlapping nor touching; in 1 series. Funiculus of 1 length only; thick; straight. Aril present; dry; when dry rim-aril; entire; tan.

Seed: 1.8–3 mm long; 1.8–3 mm wide; 0.8 mm thick; not overgrown; not angular; asymmetrical; mitaform; compressed; 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; reddish brown; glabrous; smooth; chartaceous. Pleurogram absent. Pseudopleurogram absent. Fracture lines absent. Rim absent. Wing(s) absent. Raphe not visible. Hilum present; visible; without faboid split (perhaps too small to see split); punctiform; between cotyledon and radicle lobe; recessed; not within corona, halo, or rim. Lens not discernible. 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; not concealing radicle; split over radicle; with lobes; with lobes not touching; with the interface division terminating at base of radicle; without margins recessed; red (dish); inner face flat; glabrous on inner face. Embryonic axis deflexed; parallel to length of seed; without a joint evident between the radicle and the cotyledons. Radicle differentiated from cotyledon; linear; deflexed and parallel to cotyledon length; centered between cotyledons; 1/2 to nearly length of cotyledons. Plumule rudimentary; glabrous.

Distribution

Mexico, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, and Argentina.

New World; Mexico, or Central America, or South America; Argentina, Peru, and the Guianas.

Generic Notes

Burkart (1939b) provided a key to the seven species of Amicia and described the seeds and fruits of the three species found in Argentina. Our fruit data were somewhat limited, and readers should not infer from our plate that the calyx falls with the mature fruit. The relation of the calyx to the mature fruit has not been recorded in the field. The fruits of A. zygomeris A.P. de Candolle are unlike those of other species in the genus. Compare the extreme left article in figure A with the other articles.

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.