Subfamily: Caesalpinioideae.
Phylogenetic Number: 1.4.54A.
Tribe: Detarieae.
Group: Brownea.
Species Studied - Species in Genus: 1 studied; 1 in genus.
Fruit: A legume; unilocular; 20–28.5 cm long; 4–7.5 cm wide; 0.5–0.8 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; asymmetrical; oblong, or obovate (weakly); with both sutures nearly straight, or both sutures parallelly curved; not inflated; flattened; with beak; straight; with solid beak the same color and texture as fruit; tapered at apex; oblique with longitudinal axis of fruit; tapered at base; oblique with longitudinal axis of fruit; with the apex and base uniform in texture; ligneous; seed chambers externally slightly visible; seed chambers with the raised seed chambers not torulose; margin not constricted; margin without sulcus; margin embellished; margin with thickened sutural areas; wing(s) absent; stipitate; with the stipe 30–35 mm long; indehiscent. Replum invisible. Epicarp dull; monochrome; brown; with surface texture uniform; pubescent and indurate; with hairs erect; with 1 type of pubescence; rufescent puberulent; with pubescence reddish brown; with pubescence uniformly distributed; with simple hairs; pliable; with hair bases plain; eglandular; without spines; not smooth; with elevated features; veined; obliquely veined relative to fruit length (veins originating from one suture and not reaching the other suture); not tuberculate; muricate; not exfoliating; without cracks; 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. Endocarp present; visible; dull; opaque; monochrome (assumed from small piece); tan; smooth; without adhering pieces of testa; coriaceous; not exfoliating (assumed from small piece); remaining fused to mesocarp and epicarp; without wings; entire. Seed(s) 4–9; length parallel with fruit length; touching; in 1 series. Aril absent (from orginal description (Neill, 1998)).
Seed: 25–50 mm long (from orginal description (Neill, 1998Neill, 1998:
Neill DA. 1998. Ecuadendron (Fabaceae: Caesalpinioideae: Detarieae): A new arborescent genus from western Ecuador. Novon 8:45&-49.)); 20–30 mm wide (from orginal description (Neill, 1998Neill, 1998:
Neill DA. 1998. Ecuadendron (Fabaceae: Caesalpinioideae: Detarieae): A new arborescent genus from western Ecuador. Novon 8:45&-49.)); not overgrown; not angular, or angular (sometimes, from orginal description (Neill, 1998Neill, 1998:
Neill DA. 1998. Ecuadendron (Fabaceae: Caesalpinioideae: Detarieae): A new arborescent genus from western Ecuador. Novon 8:45&-49.)); symmetrical; oblong, or quadrangular (sometimes, from orginal description (Neill, 1998Neill, 1998:
Neill DA. 1998. Ecuadendron (Fabaceae: Caesalpinioideae: Detarieae): A new arborescent genus from western Ecuador. Novon 8:45&-49.)). Testa present; not adhering to endocarp; free from endocarp; colored; monochrome; dark brown; chartaceous (from orginal description (Neill, 1998Neill, 1998:
Neill DA. 1998. Ecuadendron (Fabaceae: Caesalpinioideae: Detarieae): A new arborescent genus from western Ecuador. Novon 8:45&-49.)). Endosperm absent (from orginal description (Neill, 1998Neill, 1998:
Neill DA. 1998. Ecuadendron (Fabaceae: Caesalpinioideae: Detarieae): A new arborescent genus from western Ecuador. Novon 8:45&-49.)).
Tribe Detarieae
Bruneau et al. (2000) carried out extensive phylogenetic analyses of tribes Amherstieae and Detarieae. They concluded that they form a single monophyletic group. Therefore, they supported Polhill's (1995a, 1995b) decision to unite the two tribes.