Behaimia

Taxonomy

Behaimia A.H.R Grisebach Cat. Pl. Cub. 77. Mai-Aug 1866.

Subfamily: Faboideae.
Phylogenetic Number: 3.7.
Tribe: Millettieae.
Species Studied - Species in Genus: 1 studied; 1 in genus.

Description

Fruit: A legume; unilocular; 2.2–3 cm long; 1–1.3 cm wide; 0.3–0.4 cm thick; 2–9 times longer than wide; with deciduous 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; symmetrical; elliptic to fusiform to obovate; not inflated; compressed; with beak; straight, or declined; with solid beak the same color and texture as fruit; truncate at apex; aligned with longitudinal axis of fruit to oblique with longitudinal axis of fruit; rounded at base to tapered at base; aligned with longitudinal axis of fruit; with the apex and base uniform in texture; chartaceous; seed chambers externally invisible; margin not constricted; margin without sulcus; margin plain; wing(s) absent; nonstipitate; 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; monochrome, or multicolored; mottled; brown; with brown overlay (darker); mottling color combination variable; with surface texture uniform; glabrate to pubescent and indurate; with hairs appressed; with 1 type of pubescence; sericeous; with pubescence golden; when mature pubescence denser near sutures, sparser centrally; with simple hairs; pliable; with hair bases plain; eglandular; without spines; not smooth; with elevated features; veined; transversely veined relative to fruit length and reticulately veined; not tuberculate; occasionally lenticular; 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 to brown; smooth and scurfy (marginally); without adhering pieces of testa; nonseptate; chartaceous; not exfoliating; separating from epicarp; without wings; entire. Seed(s) 1(–2); length parallel with fruit length; neither overlapping nor touching; in 1 series. Funiculus 1.5–2 mm long; of 1 length only; flattened; triangular. Aril present; dry; when dry rim-aril; entire; tan.

Seed: 8–10.5 mm long; 5–7 mm wide; 2–3 mm thick; not overgrown; not angular; symmetrical; elliptic to reniform; compressed; 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; glossy; not modified by a bloom; colored; mottled; with infrequent mottles; brown; with brown overlay (darker or lighter); glabrous; smooth; chartaceous. Pleurogram absent. Pseudopleurogram absent. Fracture lines absent. Rim absent. Wing(s) absent. Raphe not visible. Hilum present; partially concealed; concealed by aril; with faboid split; larger than punctiform; 0.8–1 mm long; with curved outline; circular; apical according to radicle tip but marginal according to seed length; recessed; within rim; rim color darker than testa. Lens discernible; ca. 1 mm long; with margins straight; oblong; not in groove of raphe; adjacent to hilum; ca. 0.5 mm from hilum; mounded; 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; not folded; margin entire 180 degrees from base of radicle; similar at apex; partially concealing radicle; notched at radicle; without lobes; with the interface division terminating at base of radicle; without margins recessed; brown; inner face flat; glabrous on inner face. Embryonic axis oblique; oblique to length of seed; without a joint evident between the radicle and the cotyledons. Radicle differentiated from cotyledon; linear; lobe tip curved; oblique to cotyledons; centered between cotyledons; less than 1/2 length of cotyledons. Plumule rudimentary; glabrous.

Distribution

Cuba.

New World; West Indies (Cuba).
 

Generic Notes

Lewis (1988) illustrated and elaborated on the description of this little-known and rarely collected genus.

Tribal Notes

Tribe Millettieae

Geesink (1981) treated this tribe, as others before him, under the tribal name Tephroseae, but we now know that its correct name is Millettieae. Recent tribal studies (Geesink, 1981, 1984; Polhill, 1994a, 1994b) have arranged the genera in alphabetical order without phylogenetic numbers. Geesink (1984) monographed tribe Millettieae, and presented descriptive notes about fruits and seeds and in situ fruit and seed drawings. However, we are not entirely following Geesink (1984) for generic parameters because he either questioned the status of many of his new genera or did not make the necessary species transfers. The few new genera which he clearly recognized are being accepted. Lavin et al. (1998) developed a preliminary infratribal classification of six informal groups using phytochrome nucleotides: Millettia group, Lonchocarpus group, Derris group, Tephrosia group, "primitive" group, and Phaseoleae group. Lavin (1987) transferred Sphinctospermum to Millettieae. Lavin and Doyle (1991) carried out cladistic analyses integrating morphological and chloroplast DNA data, and concluded that it is a member of Robineae where we have placed it (now 8.12).