Amphimas

Taxonomy

Amphimas J.B.L. Pierre ex H.A.T. Harms In Engler et Prantl, Nat. Pflanzenfam. Nachtr. II-IV 3: 157. Nov 1906.

Subfamily: Faboideae.
Phylogenetic Number: 3.2.11.
Tribe: Sophoreae.
Group: Myroxylon.
Species Studied - Species in Genus: 2 studied; 2 in genus.

Description

Fruit: A legume; unilocular; 10–24 cm long; 4–5.7 cm wide; 0.4–0.8 cm thick; 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; not plicate; not twisted; symmetrical; elliptic to ovate; not inflated; flattened; without beak; rounded at apex to emarginate at apex; aligned with longitudinal axis of fruit; tapered at base, or rounded at base; aligned 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, or embellished; margin with wing(s); wing(s) present; wing(s) 2; wing(s) 13–24 mm wide; wing(s) sutural; wing(s) on both sutures; stipitate, or substipitate; with the stipe 4–6 mm long; with all layers dehiscing; splitting along suture(s). Dehiscence of valves along both sutures; apical and down; active; with valves reflexing. Replum invisible. Epicarp dull; multicolored; mottled; brown to tan; with brown overlay; mottling color combination variable; with surface texture uniform; glabrous; eglandular; without spines; not smooth; with elevated features; veined; reticulately veined; not tuberculate; papillose; 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 reniform canals; spongy; chartaceous. Endocarp present; visible; dull; opaque; bichrome; tan and brown (around seed); smooth and pulpy (around seed); without adhering pieces of testa; nonseptate; chartaceous; not exfoliating; remaining fused to mesocarp and epicarp; with wing(s) extending into epicarp; entire. Seed(s) 1–2; length parallel with fruit length; neither overlapping nor touching; in 1 series. Funiculus 2–4 mm long; of 1 length only; flattened; straight, or triangular. Aril present; dry; when dry rim-aril; fimbriate; brown.

Seed: 18–34 mm long; 8.5–16 mm wide; 3–7.2 mm thick; not overgrown; not angular; symmetrical, or asymmetrical; elliptic to reniform; 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, or partially adhering to endocarp (like a powdery coating); free from endocarp; dull; not modified by a bloom; colored; monochrome; dark brown; glabrous; not smooth; with elevated features; rugose and bearing endocarp remnants; chartaceous. Pleurogram absent. Pseudopleurogram absent. Fracture lines absent. Rim absent. Wing(s) absent. Raphe not visible. Hilum present; fully concealed; concealed by funicular remnant and aril; with faboid split; with the lips of the faboid split the same color as the rest of the hilum; larger than punctiform; 3–7.5 mm long; with curved outline, or straight outline; elliptic; linear; apical according to radicle tip but marginal according to seed length; recessed; not within corona, halo, or rim. Lens discernible, or not discernible; 1–2.5 mm long; with margins curved; circular; not in groove of raphe; confluent with hilum; recessed; same color as testa; brown; 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, or 1 longer than other; not folded; margin entire 180 degrees from base of radicle; partially concealing radicle; notched at radicle; without lobes; with the interface division terminating at base of radicle; without margins recessed; green to tan; inner face flat; glabrous on inner face. Embryonic axis oblique, or right angled; oblique to length of seed, or 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

Tropical Africa.

Old World; Africa.

Tribal Notes

Tribe Sophoreae

Polhill (1981b) stated that the Sophoreae s.l. is a tribe of convenience between the Caesalpinioideae and the bulk of the Papilionoideae, sharply defined from neither. He transferred four genera from Sophoreae into the Swartzieae (1), Amburana (3.1.15), Ateleia (3.1.13), Cyathostegia (3.1.14), and Holocalyx (3.1.12), following Herendeen's (1995) cladistic analyses. Herendeen performed cladistic analyses for all Swartzieae genera, sensu Cowan (1981), 19 Sophoreae genera, and three Caesalpinioideae genera. He concluded that Swartzieae is polyphyletic and that it should be disbanded and its genera transferred to Sophoreae. Preliminary rbcL data (Doyle et al. 1997) supported his conclusions.