Caesalpinia

Taxonomy

Caesalpinia C. Linnaeus Sp. Pl. 380. 1 Mai 1753.

Subfamily: Caesalpinioideae.
Phylogenetic Number: 1.1.24.
Tribe: Caesalpinieae.
Group: Caesalpinia.
Species Studied - Species in Genus: 72 studied; ca. 100 in genus.

Description

Fruit: A legume; unilocular; 1.5–16 cm long; 0.4–5 cm wide; 0.2–3 cm thick; length less than twice as long as width to 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; 1-coiled, or 1.5-coiled, or straight; not plicate; not twisted; symmetrical, or asymmetrical; linear to moniliform, or circular to oblong; with 1 straight and 1 curved suture; widest at base to widest near apex; not inflated; flattened to compressed, or subtriangular (rarely); without beak; long tapered at apex to tapered at apex; aligned with longitudinal axis of fruit to oblique with longitudinal axis of fruit; long tapered at base to 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; chartaceous to ligneous; seed chambers externally invisible, or visible; margin constricted, or not constricted; margin constricted along both margins (?); margin with sulcus; margin plain, or embellished (occasionally); margin with ventrally thickened sutural areas, or wing(s); wing(s) present, or absent; wing(s) 1; wing(s) 0.1–15 mm wide; wing(s) sutural; wing(s) on 1 suture; stipitate to nonstipitate; with the stipe 0.6–15 mm long; with all layers dehiscing to indehiscent; splitting along suture(s). Dehiscence of valves along both sutures; active, or passive; with valves twisting (occasionally). Replum invisible. Epicarp dull to glossy; multicolored; mottled, or streaked; brown (in various shades); with black overlay and red overlay, or purple overlay to black overlay; with surface texture uniform; glabrous to pubescent and indurate; with hairs erect; occasionally glandular, or eglandular; with glandular hairs; without spines, or with spines; not smooth; with elevated features, or recessed features; veined, or not veined; longitudinally veined relative to fruit length, or transversely veined relative to fruit length, or reticulately veined; not tuberculate; striate, or lenticular, or subvesicular, or dotted, or glandular dotted, or rugose, or verrucose-rugose, or tuberculate, or warty, or blistered, or papillose, or pusticulate, or scurfy, or shagreen, or scaly, or ribbed; glandularly punctate, or pitted, or punctate; exfoliating, or not exfoliating; without cracks; without embedded tissue, much thicker than epicarp, running from base to apex. Mesocarp present, or absent; surface not veined; 1-layered; without balsamic vesicles; with fibers, or without fibers; without reniform canals; fibrous throughout, or spongy, or mealy, or vitriol, or solid; ligneous to coriaceous. Endocarp present; visible; dull; opaque; monochrome; tan; smooth, or scurfy; without adhering pieces of testa; subseptate to nonseptate; not exfoliating; remaining fused to mesocarp and epicarp; entire. Seed(s) 1–13; length parallel with fruit length, or transverse to fruit length; neither overlapping nor touching; in 1 series. Funiculus 0.1–7 mm long; of 1 length only; filiform to thick; straight, or S-curved, or curved, or plicate, or triangular. Aril absent.

Seed: 1.2–25 mm long; 1.3–25 mm wide; 1–25 mm thick; not overgrown; angular, or not angular; symmetrical, or asymmetrical (D-shaped in C. vernalis); linear, or lanceolate, or elliptic, or ovate, or circular, or oblong, or cordate, or triangular, or quadrangular, or rectangular, or D-shaped, or reniform, or irregular, or C-shaped, or trapezoid, or rhombic, or pyriform; terete to 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; glossy to dull; not modified by a bloom; colored; monochrome to mottled; black, or brown, or green, or white, or yellow; with black overlay, or brown overlay; glabrous; smooth (?); osseous. Pleurogram absent. Pseudopleurogram absent. Fracture lines present; concentric, or reticulate. Rim absent. Wing(s) absent. Raphe visible, or not visible. Hilum present; visible, or fully concealed; concealed by funicular remnant; without faboid split; punctiform, or larger than punctiform; 1 mm long; with curved outline; circular; apical at apex of radicle tip, or subapical to radicle tip; flush to recessed; not within corona, halo, or rim. Lens discernible, or not discernible; 0.1–10 mm long; with margins straight, or curved; oblong, or linear, or triangular, or wedge-shaped, or square, or irregular; elliptic, or circular, or punctiform; not in groove of raphe; mounded to recessed; similar color as testa; lighter than testa, or darker than testa; not within corona, halo, or rim. Endosperm present, or absent; thick; not pluglike and not resembling tip of radicle; adnate to testa to embryo. Cotyledons not smooth; rugose (rarely); 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; with lobes; with lobes overlapping, or not touching; with basal groin formed by lobes; 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; without a joint evident between the radicle and the cotyledons. Radicle differentiated from cotyledon; centered between cotyledons. Plumule rudimentary to well developed; glabrous.

Distribution

Pantropic (Extending into United States, Argentina, and Namibia).

New World and Old World (pantropical, extending into United States, Argentina, and Namibia); southern United States, Mexico, West Indies, Central America, and South America; Argentina, Peru, Brazil, Ecuador, and the Guianas; Southwest Asia, China, Japan, Africa, Madagascar, Indian Ocean, India, Indochina, Indonesia and the Philippines, Australia, Pacific, New Guinea, Fiji, Hawaii, and Korea.
 

Generic Notes

Hattink (1974) monographed the Malaysian species, and Vidal and Thol (1976) monographed the Asian species. This genus needs to have a worldwide monograph and is being studied by G.P. Lewis. Seeds of C. bonduc drift in ocean currents (Gunn et al., 1976).