Subfamily: Faboideae.
Phylogenetic Number: 3.14.08.
Tribe: Aeschynomeneae.
Subtribe: Ormocarpinae.
Species Studied - Species in Genus: 11 studied; 13 in genus.
Fruit: A loment (or a loment segment); 1.5–4.3 cm long; 0.5–1.5 cm wide; 0.09–0.3 cm thick; 2–9 times longer than wide; with persistent androecial sheath, or deciduous androecial sheath; with deciduous corolla; with persistent calyx, or deciduous calyx (rarely); with calyx shorter than fruit; without orifice formed by curving of fruit or fruit segments; straight, or curved; not plicate; not twisted; asymmetrical, or symmetrical; oblong, or falcate; with both sutures parallelly curved; not inflated; compressed; without beak; tapered at apex to rounded at apex; aligned with longitudinal axis of fruit to oblique with longitudinal axis of fruit; short tapered at base to rounded at base; aligned with longitudinal axis of fruit to oblique with longitudinal axis of fruit; with the apex and base uniform in texture; coriaceous; seed chambers externally visible; seed chambers with the raised seed chambers not torulose; margin constricted; margin slightly constricted along both margins; margin without sulcus; margin plain, or embellished; margin with wing(s) (restricted to apical article); wing(s) present, or absent; wing(s) 1; wing(s) 5–15 mm wide; wing(s) samaroid; wing(s) apical; stipitate, or substipitate, or nonstipitate; with the stipe 0.1–6 mm long; indehiscent (if 1-seeded). Replum invisible. Loment indehiscent; segments (articles) conspicuous; segments (articles) 3–10 mm long (sterile (winged) 10–25 mm); segments (articles) widest across seed area; segments (articles) with apical 1 different shape than middle one(s); segments (articles) oblong (with apical article with terminal wing), or rectangular. Epicarp dull; monochrome; reddish brown, or tan; with surface texture uniform; glabrous, or pubescent and indurate; with hairs erect; with 1 type of pubescence; crinkled pilose; with pubescence gray; with pubescence uniformly distributed; with simple hairs, or glandular hairs; pliable; with hair bases plain; glandular, or eglandular; with glandular setae; without spines; not smooth; with elevated features; veined; longitudinally veined relative to fruit length (with 3 to many well developed veins), or reticulately veined; not tuberculate; 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; cobwebby; without adhering pieces of testa; septate; with septa thicker than paper, firm; coriaceous; not exfoliating; remaining fused to mesocarp and epicarp; with wing(s) extending into epicarp, or without wings; entire. Seed(s) 1–6; length parallel with fruit length; neither overlapping nor touching; in 1 series. Funiculus of 1 length only; straight. Aril present; dry; when dry rim-aril; entire; tan.
Seed: 2–5 mm long; 1.5–3.5 mm wide; 1.7 mm thick; not overgrown; not angular; asymmetrical; oblong, or quadrangular (nearly), or reniform; compressed; with 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; partially adhering to endocarp (hairs); free from endocarp; more or less glossy; not modified by a bloom; colored; monochrome; reddish brown; glabrous; smooth; coriaceous. Pleurogram absent. Pseudopleurogram absent. Fracture lines absent. Rim absent. Wing(s) absent. Raphe visible; from hilum to lens; not bifurcating; darker than testa; black; flush. Hilum present; visible; with faboid split; with the lips of the faboid split the same color as the rest of the hilum; punctiform to larger than punctiform; 0.1–0.3 mm long; with curved outline; circular; between cotyledon and radicle lobe; flush; not within corona, halo, or rim, or within halo; halo lighter than testa. Lens not discernible. Endosperm present; thick; 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, or not concealing radicle; split over radicle; with lobes; with lobes not touching; 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; bulbose (nearly); lobe tip straight; deflexed and parallel to cotyledon width; centered between cotyledons; less than 1/2 length of cotyledons. Plumule moderately developed; glabrous.
Tribe Aeschynomeneae
Rudd (1981a) recognized four subtribes of Aeschynomeneae: Ormocarpinae V.E. Rudd (genera 3.14.01–3.14.08), Aeschynomeninae (genera 3.14.09–3.14.16), Discolobinae (A.E. Burkart) V.E. Rudd (genus 3.14.17: Discolobium), Poiretiinae (A.E. Burkart) V.E. Rudd (genera 3.14.18–3.14.21), and Stylosanthinae (G. Bentham) V.E. Rudd (genera 3.14.22–13.4.26). Tribal and subtribal placement of Diphysa is based on Lavin (1987; Polhill, 1994a, 1994b), and not on Polhill and Sousa (1981), who placed Diphysa in Robinieae. Bailey et al. (1997), using the chloroplast rpl2 intron and ORF184, suggested that Brya (11.01), Cranocarpus (11.02), Phylacium (11.22), and Neocollettia (11.26) are not members of Desmodieae (11) and that they probably belong in Aeschynomeneae.
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
