Peltogyne

Taxonomy

Peltogyne J.R.T Vogel Nom. cons. Linnaea 11: 410. Apr-Jul 1837.

Subfamily: Caesalpinioideae.
Phylogenetic Number: 1.4.23.
Tribe: Detarieae.
Group: Hymenaea.
Species Studied - Species in Genus: 7 studied; 23 in genus.

Description

Fruit: A legume; unilocular; 2.3–5.5 cm long; 1.5–3.5 cm wide; 0.7–1 cm thick; length less than twice as long as width; with deciduous androecial sheath; with deciduous corolla; with deciduous calyx; without orifice formed by curving of fruit or fruit segments; straight; not plicate; not twisted; symmetrical, or asymmetrical; nearly triangular, or circular; with 1 straight and 1 curved suture; widest near middle or D-shaped; not inflated; compressed; without beak; tapered at apex; right-angled with longitudinal axis of fruit; short tapered at base; 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 thickened sutural areas, or wing(s); wing(s) absent, or present (occassionally); wing(s) 1; wing(s) 0.1–2 mm wide; wing(s) sutural (ventral margin near apex); wing(s) on 1 suture (occassionally near apex); substipitate; with all layers dehiscing to indehiscent; splitting along suture(s). Dehiscence of valves along both sutures; passive. Replum invisible. Epicarp dull to glossy; monochrome; dark reddish to yellowish brown; with surface texture uniform; glabrous to pubescent and indurate; with hairs erect; glandular, or eglandular; with glandular hairs (golden if present); without spines; not smooth; with elevated features; not veined; not tuberculate; striate, or rugose; exfoliating (?, stated as separating intact from mesocarp); 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; opaque; monochrome; reddish brown; without adhering pieces of testa; nonseptate; not exfoliating; remaining fused to mesocarp and epicarp; entire. Seed(s) 1 (apical); length oblique to fruit length. Funiculus 0.1–10 mm long; of 1 length only; thick; straight and plicate (once plicate near aril or seed). Aril present, or absent; fleshy (? texturenot stated); when fleshy caplike (reddish); entire; covering less than 1/2 of seed (coverage not stated but up to 7 mm long and 8 mm wide).

Seed: 15–28 mm long; 10–18 mm wide; 4–7 mm thick; not overgrown; not angular; symmetrical; nearly elliptic to circular; compressed to 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 to dull; not modified by a bloom; colored; monochrome; blackish to reddish brown; glabrous; smooth, or not smooth (occasionally); with elevated features; rugose; osseous. Pleurogram absent. Pseudopleurogram present, or absent; 100 % (making smooth lighter colored face and faintly striated darker colored margin). Fracture lines absent. Rim absent. Wing(s) absent. Raphe not visible. Hilum present; fully concealed, or visible (occasionally if no aril present); concealed by aril, or funicular remnant (if aril knocked off); without faboid split; larger than punctiform; 0.1–2.5 mm long; with curved outline; elliptic to circular; apical at apex of radicle tip; flush; not within corona, halo, or rim. Lens discernible (but concealed by aril); 0.1–4 mm long; with margins curved; circular; not in groove of raphe; mounded; similar color as testa; lighter than testa; not within corona, halo, or rim. Endosperm present; thin; not pluglike and not resembling tip of radicle; adnate to testa. Cotyledons smooth, or not smooth; convoluted; both outer faces convex; both the same thickness; both more or less of equal length; with only 1 folded (creating illusion of complicated split); margin entire 180 degrees from base of radicle; similar at apex; completely concealing radicle; with lobes; with lobes overlapping; without 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 straight; parallel to length of seed; without a joint evident between the radicle and the cotyledons. Radicle differentiated from cotyledon; centered between cotyledons. Plumule moderately developed; glabrous.

Distribution

Mexico and West Indies to southeastern Brazil (Amazonia).

New World; West Indies, Mexico, Central America, and South America (southeastern Brazil (Amazonia)); Peru, Brazil, Ecuador, and the Guianas.

Generic Notes

Silva (1976) revised the genus. Watson and Dallwitz (1983) described the seeds as "non-endospermic".

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.