Aubrevillea

Taxonomy

Aubrevillea F. Pellegrin Bull. Soc. Bot. France 80: 466. Post 23 Jul 1933.

Subfamily: Mimosoideae.
Phylogenetic Number: 2.3.02.
Tribe: Mimoseae.
Group: Aubrevillea.
Species Studied - Species in Genus: 2 studied; 2 in genus.

Description

Fruit: A legume; unilocular; 9–22 cm long; 2–5.5 cm wide; 0.1–0.4 cm thick; 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; not plicate; twisted (1–2 twists near base and occasionally medial or apical twist); asymmetrical; oblong; not inflated; flattened; without beak; short tapered 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; chartaceous; seed chambers externally visible; margin not constricted; margin without sulcus; margin plain; wing(s) absent; stipitate; with the stipe up to 20 mm long; indehiscent. Replum invisible. Epicarp dull; multicolored; mottled; tan; with 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; reticulately veined; not tuberculate; 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; reticulate; without adhering pieces of testa; nonseptate; not exfoliating; entire. Seed(s) 1–7; length parallel with fruit length to transverse to fruit length; neither overlapping nor touching; in 1 series. Funiculus to up 20 mm long; of 1 length only; filiform; S-curved to contorted, or plicate. Aril absent.

Seed: 13–15 mm long; 12–14 mm wide; 2 mm thick; not overgrown; not angular; symmetrical; 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; free from endocarp; dull; not modified by a bloom; colored; monochrome; brown; glabrous; not smooth; with elevated features; rugose (with reticulate pattern); chartaceous. Pleurogram absent. Pseudopleurogram absent. Fracture lines absent. Rim absent. Wing(s) absent. Raphe visible; color of testa, or lighter than testa; tan. Hilum present; fully concealed; concealed by funicular remnant; without faboid split; punctiform; apical at apex of radicle tip; flush; not within corona, halo, or rim. Lens discernible (on same side of hilum as micropyle); up to 5 mm long; with margins straight; irregular; not in groove of raphe; flush; dissimilar color from testa; darker than testa; black; not within corona, halo, or rim. Endosperm absent. Cotyledons smooth; both outer faces flat; both the same thickness; both more or less of equal length; not folded; margin entire 180 degrees from base of radicle; similar at apex; completely concealing radicle; split over radicle; with the interface division terminating at base of radicle; without margins recessed; inner face flat; glabrous on inner face. Embryonic axis straight; perpendicular to length of seed; without a joint evident between the radicle and the cotyledons. Radicle differentiated from cotyledon; straight with embryonic axis; centered between cotyledons. Plumule moderately developed; glabrous.

Distribution

Guineo-Congo forests.

Old World; Africa (Guineo-Congo forests).
 

Generic Notes

Seeds of both species bear a well-Developed tan raphe starting on side away from micropyle and lens and encircling margin of seed to about 5 mm from lens. The lens on the same side of hilum as the micropyle also is found in the Cercideae (Caesalpinioideae) but probably not in other genera or tribes of the Fabaceae. Fruits have been described as samaroid (Brenan, 1955).