Echinospartum

Taxonomy

Echinospartum (É. Spach) J.P. Fourreau Ann. Soc. Linn. Lyon ser. 2. 16: 358 ('Echinosparton'). 28 Dec 1868.

Subfamily: Faboideae.
Phylogenetic Number: 3.30.23.
Tribe: Genisteae.
Species Studied - Species in Genus: 2 studied; 3 in genus.

Description

Fruit: A legume; unilocular; 1–1.5 cm long; 0.3–0.5 cm wide; 0.1–0.2 cm thick; 2–9 times longer than wide; with deciduous androecial sheath; with persistent corolla; with various petals; with persistent calyx; with calyx longer than fruit; without orifice formed by curving of fruit or fruit segments; straight; not plicate; not twisted; asymmetrical; oblong; with 1 straight and 1 curved suture, or both sutures parallelly curved; widest near middle or D-shaped; not inflated; compressed; with beak; straight; with solid beak the same color and texture as fruit; tapered at apex; aligned with longitudinal axis of fruit; tapered at base; aligned with longitudinal axis of fruit; with the apex and base uniform in texture; ligneous; seed chambers externally invisible; margin not constricted; margin without sulcus; margin embellished; wing(s) absent; nonstipitate; with all layers dehiscing; splitting along suture(s). Dehiscence of valves along both sutures; apical and down; active; with valves enrolling. Replum invisible. Epicarp dull; monochrome; brown; with surface texture uniform; pubescent and indurate; with hairs erect; with 1 type of pubescence; villous; with pubescence golden; with pubescence uniformly distributed; with simple hairs; pliable; with hair bases plain; eglandular; without spines; smooth; not veined; not tuberculate; not exfoliating; without cracks; without embedded tissue, much thicker than epicarp, running from base to apex. Mesocarp present; thick; surface not veined; 1-layered; without balsamic vesicles; without fibers; without reniform canals; solid; (sub-) ligneous. Endocarp present; visible; glossy; opaque; monochrome; reddish tan; smooth and scurfy; without adhering pieces of testa; nonseptate; chartaceous; not exfoliating; remaining fused to mesocarp and epicarp; without wings; entire. Seed(s) 1, or 2; length oblique to fruit length; neither overlapping nor touching; in 1 series. Funiculus of 1 length only; thick; curved. Aril present; dry; when dry rim-aril; entire; black.

Seed: 2.5–2.7 mm long; 2–2.5 mm wide; 1.7–2 mm thick; not overgrown; angular, or not angular; asymmetrical; oblong, or ovate, or D-shaped; compressed, or terete; 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; wrinkled (E. horridum (J.L.M. Vahl) W.H.P. Rothmaler). Testa present; without pieces of adhering epicarp; not adhering to endocarp; free from endocarp; dull; not modified by a bloom; colored; mottled and streaked; with frequent mottles; with frequent streaks; dark reddish brown; with black overlay; glabrous; smooth, or not smooth; with elevated features; wrinkled (because of cuticle); coriaceous. Pleurogram absent. Pseudopleurogram absent. Fracture lines absent. Rim absent. Wing(s) absent. Raphe not visible. Hilum present; visible; with faboid split; with the lips of the faboid split the same color as the rest of the hilum; punctiform; apical at apex of radicle tip; slightly recessed; within rim; rim color of testa. Lens not discernible. Endosperm present; thick; not pluglike and not resembling tip of radicle; covering entire embryo; adnate to testa. 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; reddish 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; somewhat linear; lobe tip straight; deflexed and parallel to cotyledon length; centered between cotyledons; 1/2 to nearly length of cotyledons. Plumule moderately developed; glabrous.

Distribution

Southwestern Europe.

Old World; southwest Europe and Mediterranean.

Generic Notes

We are following Gunn et al. (1992) for the author of genus, rather than Bisby (1981).

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.