Hypocalyptus

Taxonomy

Hypocalyptus C.P. Thunberg Prodr. Pl. Cap. 124. post 1 Jan 1800; 151. 15 Jun 1800. Post 1 Jan 1800 to 15 Jun 1800.

Subfamily: Faboideae.
Phylogenetic Number: 3.26.01.
Tribe: Hypocalypteae.
Species Studied - Species in Genus: 3 studied; 3 in genus.

Description

Fruit: A legume; unilocular; 0.2–6.5 cm long; 0.4–1.4 cm wide; 0.25 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 to curved (slightly); not plicate; not twisted; symmetrical, or asymmetrical; linear, or oblong, or obovate; with both sutures nearly straight; not inflated, or inflated; compressed, or terete; with beak; short tapered at apex; aligned with longitudinal axis of fruit; tapered at base; oblique with longitudinal axis of fruit; with the apex and base uniform in texture; coriaceous, or chartaceous; seed chambers externally visible; seed chambers with the raised seed chambers torulose; margin constricted, or not constricted; margin slightly constricted along both margins; margin without sulcus; margin plain; wing(s) absent; substipitate; with all layers dehiscing; splitting along suture(s). Dehiscence of valves along both sutures; medial and up and down; passive. Replum invisible. Epicarp dull; monochrome; reddish or blackish brown or brown, or black, or yellow (pale); with surface texture uniform; glabrous; eglandular; without spines; not smooth; with elevated features; veined; reticulately veined; not tuberculate; 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; coriaceous. Endocarp present; visible; dull; opaque; monochrome; tan; smooth; without adhering pieces of testa; nonseptate; chartaceous; not exfoliating; remaining fused to mesocarp and epicarp; without wings; entire. Seed(s) 1–6; length parallel with fruit length; neither overlapping nor touching; in 1 series. Funiculus of 1 length only; triangular; straight. Aril present; fleshy; when fleshy cupshaped; entire; covering less than 1/2 of seed; white.

Seed: 3.4–8 mm long; 2–3 mm wide; 1.3–3 mm thick; not overgrown; not angular; asymmetrical; reniform (oblong), or ovate; compressed; with surface smooth; with visible radicle and cotyledon lobes (faintly), or without visible radicle and cotyledon lobes; without external groove between 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 and glossy, or dull; not modified by a bloom; colored; monochrome, or mottled to streaked; with frequent mottles; with frequent streaks; black to brown (dark); with black overlay (brownish); glabrous; smooth; coriaceous. Pleurogram absent. Pseudopleurogram absent. Fracture lines absent. Rim absent. Raphe visible, or not visible; from hilum through lens to base of seed and terminating; not bifurcating; darker than testa; reddish brown, or black; flush. Hilum present; partially concealed; concealed by aril; 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; between cotyledon and radicle lobe, or marginal according to radicle tip; recessed; not within corona, halo, or rim. Lens discernible, or not discernible; with margins curved; circular (outline difficult to see); not in groove of raphe; adjacent to hilum; 1 mm from hilum; mounded; dissimilar color from testa; darker than testa; reddish brown, or black; not within corona, halo, or rim. Endosperm present; thick; not pluglike and not resembling tip of radicle; covering entire embryo; adnate to embryo. 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; entire over radicle; without lobes; with the interface division terminating at base of radicle; without margins recessed; yellow; 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; linear; deflexed and parallel to cotyledon width; centered between cotyledons; less than 1/2 length of cotyledons. Plumule rudimentary; glabrous.

Distribution

South Africa (Southern Cape Province).

Old World; Africa (South: Cape).

Tribal Notes

Tribe Hypocalypteae

Schutte and Van Wyk (1998a, 1998b) carried out extensive cladistic analyses of tribes Liparieae and Podalyrieae and related genera. They concluded that all genera of Liparieae, except Hypocalyptus, should be transferred to Podalyrieae and that a monotypic tribe should be created for Hypocalyptus.