Subfamily: Faboideae.
Phylogenetic Number: 3.8.06.
Tribe: Robinieae.
Group: Gliricidia.
Species Studied - Species in Genus: 3 studied; 3 in genus.
Fruit: A legume; unilocular; (6–)8–31 cm long; 1–2.5 cm wide; 0.2–0.5 cm thick; more than 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; not plicate; not twisted; symmetrical, or asymmetrical; linear; with both sutures nearly straight; not inflated; flattened; without beak; short tapered at apex; aligned with longitudinal axis of fruit; long tapered at base; aligned with longitudinal axis of fruit; with the apex and base uniform in texture; ligneous; seed chambers externally visible (faintly), 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; basal and up (G. maculata (K.S. Kunth) K.S. Kunth ex G.W. Walpers and G. sepium), or apical and down (G. brenningii (H.A.T. Harms) M. Lavin); active; with valves twisting. Replum invisible. Epicarp dull, or semiglossy; monochrome; reddish or dark reddish brown; with surface texture uniform; glabrous; eglandular; without spines; not smooth; with elevated features; not veined, or veined; reticulately veined; not tuberculate; faintly wrinkled, or wrinkled and lenticular; not exfoliating; without cracks, or with cracks (after dehiscence, G. brenningii); cracking transverse to fruit length; without embedded tissue, much thicker than epicarp, running from base to apex. Mesocarp present; thick; surface not veined; 2-layered; without balsamic vesicles; without fibers; without reniform canals; with vitriol layer over solid layer (vitriol layer beadlike or reddish brown and solid layer tan); ligneous. Endocarp present; visible; dull; opaque; monochrome; tan; spongy; without adhering pieces of testa; septate, or nonseptate; with septa thin (tissue paper-like), flexible (more of a color difference or with wrinkled margins); with septa eglandular; coriaceous, or chartaceous; not exfoliating; remaining fused to mesocarp and epicarp; without wings; entire. Seed(s) 1–15; length parallel with fruit length, or transverse to fruit length, or oblique to fruit length; neither overlapping nor touching; in 1 series. Funiculus 1.5–2 mm long (G. brenningii); of 1 length only; flattened; straight. Aril absent, or present; dry; when dry tongue-aril; entire; reddish brown or brown.
Seed: 5.5–12 mm long; 1–10 mm wide; 1.5–3 mm thick; not overgrown; not angular; nearly symmetrical, or asymmetrical; sub circular, circular, or oblong, or ovate; flattened, or 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; glossy, or dull; not modified by a bloom; colored; monochrome; black, or brown (reddish); glabrous; smooth, or not smooth (G. brenningii); with elevated features; wrinkled; coriaceous. Pleurogram absent. Pseudopleurogram absent. Fracture lines absent. Rim absent. Wing(s) absent. Raphe not visible. Hilum present; visible, or fully concealed; concealed by funiculus, or funicular remnant; with faboid split; with the lips of the faboid split the same color as the rest of the hilum; larger than punctiform; 1 mm long; with straight outline; oblong; apical at apex of radicle tip; flush, or recessed (slightly, G. brenningii); not within corona, halo, or rim, or within rim; rim color of testa. Lens not discernible, or discernible; 0.1–2 mm long; with margins straight; rhombic, or wedge-shaped; not in groove of raphe; adjacent to hilum; 1–1.5 mm from hilum; mounded, or flush (G. brenningii); dissimilar color from testa, or similar color as testa; darker than testa, or lighter than testa (duller, G. brenningii); reddish brown; not within corona, halo, or rim. Endosperm present; thin; not pluglike and not resembling tip of radicle; covering entire embryo; adnate to testa, or embryo. Cotyledons smooth; both outer faces convex, or outer face of one cotyledon flat and other cotyledon convex (G. brenningii); both the same thickness; both more or less of equal length; not folded; margin entire 180 degrees from base of radicle; similar at apex; completely concealing radicle, or not concealing radicle (G. brenningii); split over radicle; with lobes; without basal groin formed by lobes; with the interface division terminating at base of radicle; without margins recessed, or with margin(s) recessed (G. brenningii); tan, or brown (reddish), or green; 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; bulbose; deflexed and parallel to cotyledon width; centered between cotyledons; less than 1/2 length of cotyledons. Plumule moderately developed, or rudimentary; glabrous.
Lavin et al. (1991) reported on the intraspecific phylogeny and tokogeny of Gliricidia sepium. Lavin and Sousa (1995) monographed the genus, and synonymized Yucaratonia A.E. Burkart with it. Burkart (1969) provided excellent fruit and seed illustrations of G. brenningii with his description of the genus Yucaratonia.
Authors: J.H. Kirkbride, Jr., C.R. Gunn, A.L. Weitzman, M.J. Dallwitz, K.R. Thiele
Content last updated April 2003
Released April 2024 on idtools.org
