Chamaecytisus

Taxonomy

Chamaecytisus J.H.F. Link Handb. 2: 154. 1831 (ante Sep).

Subfamily: Faboideae.
Phylogenetic Number: 3.30.15A.
Tribe: Genisteae.
Species Studied - Species in Genus: 11 studied; 30 in genus.

Description

Fruit: A legume; unilocular; 2–7 cm long; 0.5–1.1 cm wide; 0.2–0.4 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, or curved (slightly); not plicate; not twisted; asymmetrical, or symmetrical; oblong, or falcate (barely); with both sutures nearly straight; not inflated; flattened, or compressed; without beak; tapered at apex, or short tapered at apex; aligned with longitudinal axis of fruit, or oblique with longitudinal axis of fruit; short tapered at base; aligned with longitudinal axis of fruit; with the apex and base uniform in texture; coriaceous, or ligneous; seed chambers externally visible, or invisible; seed chambers with the raised seed chambers not torulose; margin not constricted; margin without sulcus; margin plain; wing(s) absent; substipitate, or nonstipitate; with all layers dehiscing; splitting along suture(s). Dehiscence of valves along both sutures; apical and down; active; with valves twisting. Replum invisible. Epicarp dull; monochrome; brown to reddish brown; with surface texture uniform; pubescent and indurate, or pubescent but soon deciduous; with hairs erect; with 1 type of pubescence; pilose, or tomentose; with pubescence golden; with pubescence uniformly distributed; with simple hairs; pliable; with hair bases plain; eglandular; without spines; smooth, or not smooth; with elevated features; veined, or not veined; reticulately veined; not tuberculate; faintly wrinkled, or pusticulate (minutely); not exfoliating, or exfoliating, or exfoliating in part; with cracks, or without cracks; cracking oblique to fruit length, or transverse to fruit length; without embedded tissue, much thicker than epicarp, running from base to apex. Mesocarp present; thin; surface not veined; 1-layered; without balsamic vesicles; without fibers; without reniform canals; solid; ligneous (or subligneous), or coriaceous. Endocarp present; visible; dull; opaque; monochrome; reddish brown; smooth, or scurfy; without adhering pieces of testa; nonseptate; chartaceous; not exfoliating; remaining fused to mesocarp and epicarp; without wings; entire. Seed(s) 4–13; length transverse to fruit length; neither overlapping nor touching; in 1 series. Funiculus 0.5–1 mm long; of 1 length only; flattened, or triangular; straight. Aril present, or absent; fleshy; when fleshy topknotlike, or cupshaped; entire; covering less than 1/2 of seed; reddish brown, or tan (to reddish tan).

Seed: 2.7–5 mm long; 2.2–3.5 mm wide; 1.5–2.7 mm thick; not overgrown; angular, or not angular; asymmetrical; oblong, or ovate, or circular (more or less), or triangular (more or less), or cordate; compressed, or terete; with surface smooth; with visible radicle and cotyledon lobes, or without visible radicle and cotyledon lobes; without external groove between radicle and cotyledon lobes; without hilar sinus; with umbo on seed faces; without medial ridge on each face. Cuticle not exfoliating; not inflated; wrinkled. Testa present; without pieces of adhering epicarp; not adhering to endocarp; free from endocarp; glossy; not modified by a bloom; colored; monochrome; brown to reddish or greenish brown, or tan (to greenish tan), or olive, or black; glabrous; smooth; coriaceous. 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; with the lips of the faboid split the same color as the rest of the hilum, or lighter colored than the rest of the hilum and therefore conspicuous; larger than punctiform; 0.3–1 mm long; with curved outline; circular, or elliptic; apical at apex of radicle tip, or subapical to radicle tip, or between cotyledon and radicle lobe; recessed; within rim, or within halo; halo of testa (to duller); rim color of testa. Lens discernible, or not discernible; 0.1–1 mm long; with margins straight, or curved; oblong; circular (with light colored line), or elliptic, or oblong; not in groove of raphe; confluent with hilum; mounded, or flush; same color as testa, or dissimilar color from testa; lighter than testa; reddish tan; not within corona, halo, or rim. Endosperm present; thick; not pluglike and not resembling tip of radicle; covering entire embryo; adnate to embryo. 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 the interface division terminating at base of radicle; without margins recessed; tan; inner face flat; glabrous on inner face. Embryonic axis deflexed; oblique to length of seed; without a joint evident between the radicle and the cotyledons. Radicle differentiated from cotyledon; linear, or bulbose; lobe tip straight; deflexed and parallel to cotyledon length; centered between cotyledons; equaling length of cotyledons, or exceeding length of cotyledons. Plumule rudimentary; glabrous.

Distribution

Europe, Morocco, and Canary Islands.

Old World; Europe, or Mediterranean, or Russia, or Africa (Morocco, Canary Islands).

Tribal Notes

Tribe Genisteae

Traditionally this tribe has been called Genisteae. Reveal (1997) reported that the name Cytiseae was published before the name Genisteae. Following the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature (Greuter et al., 1994), the oldest name for a taxon must be used, so Reveal suggested that this tribe should be called Cytiseae. In 1999 Reveal (1999) reversed himself, so that this tribe remains the Genisteae. Bisby (1981) summarized tribe Genisteae, following the excellent study by Polhill (1976). Bisby correctly noted that "many species have been moved from one genus to another several times and the Cytisus-Genista complex has gained a reputation as a critical group." He continued with an indepth analysis of the tribe. Polhill (1994a, 1994b) and Van Wyk and Schutte (1995a), using chemical and morphological characters, transferred five genera from Crotalarieae (27) to Genisteae: Anarthrophyllum (30.06), Argyrolobium (30.03), Dichilus (30.02), Melolobium, and Sellocharis (30.07). Cristofolini (1997) carried out a cladistic study of the tribe's biogeography, and discussed its early evolutionary history. López et al. (2000) studied the species of this tribe occurring in southwestern Spain and presented detailed descriptions for and a key to them.