Harpalyce

Taxonomy

Harpalyce A.P. de Candolle Prodr. 2: 523. Nov (med.) 1825.

Subfamily: Faboideae.
Phylogenetic Number: 3.22.02.
Tribe: Brongniartieae.
Species Studied - Species in Genus: 9 studied; 20 in genus.

Description

Fruit: A legume; unilocular; 1–12 cm long; 0.8–3.5 cm wide; 0.3–0.6 cm thick (estimated); 2–9 times longer than wide; with deciduous androecial sheath; with deciduous corolla; with deciduous calyx; without orifice formed by curving of fruit or fruit segments; straight to curved (slightly); not plicate; not twisted; symmetrical; oblong to obovate to ovate (when obovate, lower portion of fruit sterile); not inflated; compressed; without beak; short tapered at apex; oblique with longitudinal axis of fruit; short tapered at base; aligned with longitudinal axis of fruit; with the apex and base uniform in texture; fleshy (when fresh), or coriaceous, or ligneous (H. mexicana J.N. Rose); seed chambers externally visible; seed chambers with the raised seed chambers not torulose; margin not constricted; margin without sulcus; margin plain; wing(s) absent; nonstipitate; with all layers dehiscing; splitting along suture(s). Dehiscence of valves along both sutures; apical and down; active, or passive (H. mexicana); with valves revolute. Replum invisible. Epicarp dull, or glossy; monochrome; black, or brown (reddish-brown to darker), or purple, or tan; with surface texture uniform; glabrous; eglandular; without spines; not smooth; with elevated features; veined; obliquely veined relative to fruit length; not tuberculate; obscurely rugose; not exfoliating; without cracks; without embedded tissue, much thicker than epicarp, running from base to apex. Mesocarp present; thin; 1-layered; without balsamic vesicles; without fibers; without reniform canals; solid; (sub-) ligneous. Endocarp present; visible; dull, or glossy (at least lustrous); opaque; monochrome; tan; cobwebby, or smooth, or spongy; without adhering pieces of testa; septate, or nonseptate; with septa thin (tissue paper-like), flexible, or thicker than paper, firm; with septa eglandular; coriaceous; not exfoliating; without wings. Seed(s) 1–15; length oblique to fruit length (H. macrocarpa N.L. Britton & P. Wilson), or transverse to fruit length; neither overlapping nor touching; in 1 series. Funiculus 2–4 mm long; of 1 length only; filiform, or triangular; straight. Aril present; fleshy; when fleshy topknotlike, or cupshaped, or hooked; entire; covering less than 1/2 of seed; brown, or tan.

Seed: 5–15 mm long; 2–12 mm wide; 2.5–5 mm thick; not overgrown; not angular; asymmetrical; oblong to rectangular; 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; not modified by a bloom; colored; monochrome; black, or brown, or cream (H. parvifolia H.S. Irwin & M.T.K. Arroyo), or ivory, or olive; glabrous, or minutely pubescent (H. robusta H.S. Irwin & M.T.K. Arroyo, fide Arroyo (1976)); smooth; coriaceous. Pleurogram absent. Fracture lines absent. Rim absent. Raphe visible, or not visible; from lens to base of seed and terminating; color of testa; recessed. Hilum present; fully concealed; with faboid split; with the lips of the faboid split the same color as the rest of the hilum; larger than punctiform; 0.5–0.7 mm long; with curved outline; elliptic; subapical to radicle tip; recessed; within rim, or not within corona, halo, or rim; rim color of testa. Lens discernible, or not discernible; with margins straight, or curved; linear; punctiform; in groove of raphe; adjacent to hilum; recessed; dissimilar color from testa; darker than testa; black; not within corona, halo, or rim. Endosperm present; thin; 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; partially concealing radicle; split over radicle; with lobes; with lobes touching (auriculate); with basal groin formed by lobes; with the interface division terminating at base of radicle; without margins recessed; tan; inner face flat; glabrous on inner face. Embryonic axis oblique; oblique to length of seed; without a joint evident between the radicle and the cotyledons. Radicle differentiated from cotyledon; linear; oblique to cotyledons; centered between cotyledons; less than 1/2 length of cotyledons. Plumule rudimentary; glabrous.

Distribution

Mexico, Central America, Cuba, Brazil.

New World; West Indies to Mexico to Central America to South America; Brazil.

Generic Notes

Kalin Arroyo (1976) monographed the genus and provided general fruit and seed descriptions for most recognized species. Our studied species were selected from all three sections: Harpalyce, Brazilianae M.T.K. Arroyo, and Cubenses M.T.K. Arroyo. The lens is a black line in the raphe groove and surrounded by a punctiform pit.

Tribal Notes

Tribe Brongniartieae

Arroyo (1981) noted that the "legumes and seeds in Harpalyce and Brongniartia are quite similar, and on this basis the genera are closely related." She regarded this tribe as "a probably retictual American group, with ancient austral roots." Crisp and Weston (1987, pages 105–107) provided compelling evidence that the Templetonia group of the Bossiaeeae (23) should be transferred to the Brongniartieae, but they did not resolve all aspects of the transfer. See the Notes for Lamprolobium (23.02). Chappill's (1995) cladistic analysis of the entire family indicated that the transfer should not be made and that the two tribes should be circumscribed in the traditional manner (Crisp and Weston, 1995).