Julbernardia

Taxonomy

Julbernardia F. Pellegrin Boissiera 7: 297. Mar 1943.|

Subfamily: Caesalpinioideae.
Phylogenetic Number: 1.4.63.
Tribe: Detarieae.
Group: Berlinia.
Species Studied - Species in Genus: 6 studied; 10 in genus.

Description

Fruit: A legume; unilocular; 5–26 cm long; 1.8–8 cm wide; 0.5–1 cm thick; 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; not plicate; not twisted; symmetrical, or asymmetrical; oblong, or falcate; with both sutures parallelly curved; not inflated; compressed; without beak; tapered at apex; oblique with longitudinal axis of fruit to right-angled with longitudinal axis of fruit; tapered at base; oblique with longitudinal axis of fruit to right angled 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; margin with flange(s), or ridge(s) (up to 3 mm wide); wing(s) absent; stipitate to substipitate; with the stipe 6–7 mm long; with all layers dehiscing; splitting along suture(s). Dehiscence of valves along both sutures; active; with valves elastically and separately enrolling. Replum invisible. Epicarp dull; monochrome; brown; with surface texture uniform; densely velvety brown pubescent and indurate, or glabrous; with hairs erect; eglandular; without spines; not smooth; with elevated features; veined; obliquely veined relative to fruit length and transversely veined relative to fruit length; not tuberculate; not exfoliating; without cracks; without embedded tissue, much thicker than epicarp, running from base to apex. Mesocarp present; surface not veined; 1-layered; without balsamic vesicles; without fibers; without reniform canals; solid; ligneous. Endocarp present; visible; dull to glossy; opaque; monochrome; reddish brown; smooth and spongy (smooth under seeds, spongy around seeds); without adhering pieces of testa; subseptate; not exfoliating; remaining fused to mesocarp and epicarp; entire. Seed(s) 1–5; length oblique to fruit length; neither overlapping nor touching; in 1 series. Funiculus 0.1–1.5 mm long; of 1 length only; flattened; straight. Aril present; dry (?); when dry annular; entire; covering less than 1/2 of seed (?).

Seed: 12- 13–50 mm long; 0.8–50 mm wide; 3–7 mm thick; not overgrown; angular, or not angular; symmetrical; ovate to oblong, or rectangular; flattened; 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; not modified by a bloom; colored; monochrome; dark brown; glabrous; smooth; osseous. Pleurogram absent. Pseudopleurogram absent. Fracture lines absent. Rim absent. Wing(s) absent. Raphe not visible. Hilum present; fully concealed; concealed by funicular remnant; without faboid split; larger than punctiform; 0.1–2 mm long; with curved outline; elliptic; apical at apex of radicle tip; flush; not within corona, halo, or rim. Lens not discernible. Endosperm absent. 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; with lobes; with lobes overlapping; with basal groin formed by lobes; with the interface division terminating at base of radicle; without margins recessed; inner face flat; glabrous on inner face. Embryonic axis slightly deflexed (and marginal); perpendicular to length of seed; without a joint evident between the radicle and the cotyledons. Radicle differentiated from cotyledon; centered between cotyledons. Plumule well developed; glabrous.

Distribution

Guineo-Congolian forest and Sudan to Zambezi.

Old World; Africa (Guineo-Congolian forest and Sudan to Zambezi).

Generic Notes

Julbernardia seeds are unique in the subfamily because of the presence of a rim-aril, slightly deflexed embryonic axis (see also Brenierea, 1.3.05), and groined cotyledon radicle junction. These characters usually are found in seeds from the subfamily Faboideae. Julbernardia seeds do not have a hilar split, a unique character in the legumes for the subfamily Faboideae. At least one species of Anthonotha (1.4.71), A. cladanthea, has seeds with a rim-aril. In 1995, F.J. Breteler informed G.P. Lewis (Corby and Kirkbride, 2002) that Thylacanthus (1.4.49), thought to be a montypic Brazilian genus based on a single collection, is actually J. paniculata (Benth.) Troupin from Mozambique.

Tribal Notes

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.