Chloroleucon

Taxonomy

Chloroleucon (G. Bentham) N.L. Britton & J.N. Rose Nom. cons. prop. N. Amer. Fl. 23: 37. 11 Feb 1928.

Subfamily: Mimosoideae.
Phylogenetic Number: 2.5.12.
Tribe: Ingeae.
Species Studied - Species in Genus: 5 studied; 10 in genus (Barneby and Grimes, 1996Barneby and Grimes, 1996:
Albizia, and allies. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 74(1): 1&-292. ).

Description

Fruit: A legume; unilocular; 5.5–26 cm long (Barneby and Grimes, 1996); 0.6–2.4 cm wide (Barneby and Grimes, 1996); 0.3–1 cm thick; 2–9 times longer than wide, or more than 9 times longer than wide; with deciduous androecial sheath; with deciduous corolla; with deciduous calyx; with orifice formed by curving of fruit or fruit segments, or without orifice formed by curving of fruit or fruit segments; curved, or 0.5-coiled to 1-coiled to 1.5-coiled to 2-coiled to 3-coiled to 4-coiled to 5- to 10-coiled; not plicate; twisted, or not twisted; symmetrical; coiled, or C-shaped, or falcate; not inflated; compressed, or terete; without beak; rounded at apex, or tapered at apex; aligned with longitudinal axis of fruit; long tapered at base, or tapered at base, or short tapered at base; aligned with longitudinal axis of fruit (centered or to one side); with the apex and base uniform in texture; coriaceous, or leathery, or ligneous; seed chambers externally visible; seed chambers with the raised seed chambers not torulose; margin constricted; margin constricted along both margins to slightly constricted along both margins, or constricted only on 1 margin to slightly constricted only on 1 margin, or constricted on 1 margin and slightly constricted on the other margin; margin without sulcus; margin plain, or embellished; margin with thickened sutural areas; wing(s) absent; nonstipitate; with all layers dehiscing; splitting along suture(s). Dehiscence of valves along 1 suture, or both sutures; passive. Replum invisible. Epicarp dull; monochrome; brown to black, or green; with surface texture uniform; glabrous; eglandular; without spines; not smooth; with elevated features; veined; transversely veined relative to fruit length, or reticulately veined, or irregularly veined; not tuberculate; rugose; not exfoliating; without cracks, or with cracks (especially older specimens with large transverse cracks between the seeds); cracking transverse to fruit length, or irregular; without embedded tissue, much thicker than epicarp, running from base to apex. Mesocarp present; thick, or thin; surface not veined; 1-layered, or 2-layered; without balsamic vesicles; without fibers; without reniform canals; vitriol, or solid; with vitriol layer over solid layer (with the vitriol 4–5 times thicker over the seeds); coriaceous, or ligneous. Endocarp present; visible; dull; opaque; monochrome; brown to tan, or white; pithy, or scurfy, or smooth; without adhering pieces of testa; nonseptate; coriaceous, or ligneous; not exfoliating; remaining fused to mesocarp and epicarp; without wings; entire. Seed(s) 5–24 (Barneby and Grimes, 1996); length parallel with fruit length, or transverse to fruit length; neither overlapping nor touching; in 1 series. Funiculus 1–3 mm long; of 1 length only; filiform; straight and coiled (near attachment to valve, Barneby and Grimes, 1996). Aril absent.

Seed: 3.4–8.5 mm long (Barneby and Grimes, 1996Barneby and Grimes, 1996:
Albizia, and allies. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 74(1): 1&-292. ); 3.3–6 mm wide (Barneby and Grimes, 1996); 2–3 mm thick; not overgrown; not angular; symmetrical; elliptic, or oblong, or ovate; 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; dull to glossy; not modified by a bloom; colored; monochrome, or bichrome (area within the pleurogram sometimes darker); brown, or green, or olive, or tan; glabrous; smooth; chartaceous. Pleurogram present; 90–100 %. Pseudopleurogram absent. Fracture lines present (frequently within the area of the pleurogram); irregular. Rim absent. Wing(s) absent. Raphe not visible. Hilum present; fully concealed; concealed by funicular remnant; without faboid split (assumed); punctiform (0.1–0.3 mm long, only smaller seeds measured); apical at apex of radicle tip; raised; not within corona, halo, or rim. Lens discernible; 0.3–0.5 mm long (only smaller seeds measured); with margins curved; narrowly elliptic; not in groove of raphe; adjacent to hilum; 0.1–0.2 mm from hilum (only smaller seeds measured); flush; dissimilar color from testa; lighter than testa; white; 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; white; inner face flat; glabrous on inner face. Embryonic axis parallel; parallel to length of seed; without a joint evident between the radicle and the cotyledons. Radicle differentiated from cotyledon; bulbose; lobe tip straight; straight with embryonic axis; centered between cotyledons; 1/2 to nearly length of cotyledons. Plumule well developed; glabrous.

Distribution

From northern Mexico to the Antilles, Argentine, and southeastern Brazil.

New World; Mexico, West Indies, Central America, and South America; Argentina, Peru, Brazil, Ecuador, and the Guianas.

Generic Notes

Barneby and Grimes (1996) monographed the genus, and their species count and distribution are used.