Subfamily: Faboideae.
Phylogenetic Number: 3.10.65.
Tribe: Phaseoleae.
Subtribe: Phaseolinae.
Species Studied - Species in Genus: 8 studied; 24 in genus.
Fruit: A legume; unilocular; 1.1–6 cm long; 0.2–1.1 cm wide; 0.2–0.5 cm thick; 2–9 times longer than wide to more than 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 (to slightly curved); not plicate; not twisted; asymmetrical, or symmetrical; linear to oblong (narrowly), or ovate (geocarpic fruit), or falcate, or irregular (geocarpic fruit); with 1 straight and 1 curved suture (in literature), or both sutures parallelly curved, or both sutures unequally curved, or both sutures nearly straight; narrowest near middle, B-shaped; not inflated; compressed; with beak; declined to hooked; with solid beak the same color and texture as fruit; tapered at apex; aligned with longitudinal axis of fruit, or oblique with longitudinal axis of fruit, or right-angled with longitudinal axis of fruit; tapered at base to short tapered at base to rounded at base; aligned with longitudinal axis of fruit; with the apex and base uniform in texture; chartaceous to coriaceous; seed chambers externally visible, or invisible; seed chambers with the raised seed chambers not torulose; margin not constricted, or constricted; margin slightly constricted along both margins, or constricted only on 1 margin; margin without sulcus; margin plain, or embellished; margin with ridge(s); wing(s) absent; nonstipitate; with all layers dehiscing, or indehiscent; splitting along suture(s). Dehiscence of valves along both sutures; apical and down; active; with valves twisting. Replum invisible. Epicarp dull; monochrome, or multicolored; mottled; brown, or tan; with brown overlay; mottling color combination constant; with mottling over seed chambers; with surface texture uniform; glabrous, or pubescent and indurate; with hairs appressed; with 1 type of pubescence; with pubescence golden to white; with pubescence uniformly distributed; with simple hairs; pliable; with hair bases plain; eglandular; without spines; smooth, or not smooth; with elevated features, or recessed features; veined, or not veined; reticulately veined; not tuberculate; rugose to wrinkled; resinous punctate; not exfoliating; without cracks; without embedded tissue, much thicker than epicarp, running from base to apex. Mesocarp present; thick; surface not veined; 1-layered, or 2-layered; without balsamic vesicles; without fibers; without reniform canals; solid; with solid layer over spongy layer; chartaceous. Endocarp present; visible; dull to glossy; opaque; monochrome, or mottled; tan to white; with mottling over seed chambers; with brown overlay; fibrous to smooth; without adhering pieces of testa; subseptate, or nonseptate; with septa thin (tissue paper-like), flexible; with septa eglandular; chartaceous; not exfoliating; remaining fused to mesocarp and epicarp; without wings; entire. Seed(s) 1–8; length parallel with fruit length; neither overlapping nor touching; in 1 series. Funiculus 0.1–1 mm long; of 1 length only; flattened to thick; straight. Aril present; dry; when dry rim-aril and tongue-aril; entire; brown to cream.
Seed: 4–12 mm long; 1.8–8 mm wide; 0.6–3 mm thick; not overgrown; not angular to angular (slightly); symmetrical, or asymmetrical; elliptic, or irregular, or oblong, or ovate, or reniform; compressed; with surface smooth; with visible radicle and cotyledon lobes, 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; glossy to dull; not modified by a bloom; colored, or clear; monochrome, or mottled; with frequent mottles, or infrequent mottles; brown to black; with brown overlay; glabrous; smooth; chartaceous. Pleurogram absent. Pseudopleurogram absent. Fracture lines absent. Rim absent. Wing(s) absent. Raphe not visible. Hilum present; visible, or partially concealed, or fully concealed; concealed by funicular remnant; with faboid split; with the lips of the faboid split the same color as the rest of the hilum; larger than punctiform; 0.8–3.6 mm long; with curved outline, or straight outline; elliptic; linear; apical according to radicle tip but marginal according to seed length; recessed; not within corona, halo, or rim, or within corona, or within corona and within halo; corona color darker than testa; halo darker than testa. Lens discernible; 0.8–1.5 mm long; with margins straight; linear; not in groove of raphe; confluent with hilum; recessed; same color as testa, or similar color as testa; darker than testa; black, or brown; within corona, or not within corona, halo, or rim; corona color darker than testa. Endosperm present, or absent; trace; not pluglike and not resembling tip of radicle; restricted to region of 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; notched at 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 right angled, or oblique; oblique to length of seed, or perpendicular to length of seed; without a joint evident between the radicle and the cotyledons. Radicle differentiated from cotyledon; bulbose; lobe tip curved; deflexed and parallel to cotyledon width, or oblique to cotyledons; centered between cotyledons; less than 1/2 length of cotyledons. Plumule moderately developed to well developed; glabrous.
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
