Podocytisus

Taxonomy

Podocytisus P.E. Boissier & T.H.H. von Heldreich In Boissier, Diagn. Pl. Orient. 2(9): 7. Jan-Feb 1849.

Subfamily: Faboideae.
Phylogenetic Number: 3.30.11.
Tribe: Genisteae.
Species Studied - Species in Genus: 1 studied; 1 in genus.

Description

Fruit: A legumelegume:
usually dry, dehiscent fruit derived from a single carpel that opens along two longitudinal sutures
; unilocular; 2.5–4.5 cm long; 1–2 cm wide; 0.03–0.05 cm thick; 2–9 times longer than wide; with persistent androecial sheath; with deciduous corolla; with persistent calyx; with calyx shorter than fruit; without orifice formed by curving of fruit or fruit segments; curved; not plicate; not twisted; asymmetrical; oblong; with both sutures nearly straight; not inflated; flattened; without beak; rounded at apex; oblique with longitudinal axis of fruit; rounded at base, or short tapered at base; oblique with longitudinal axis of fruit; with the apex and base uniform in texture; membranous; seed chambers externally visible; seed chambers with the raised seed chambers not torulose; margin not constricted, or constricted; margin slightly constricted only on 1 margin (and irregularly); margin without sulcus; margin embellished; margin with wing(s); wing(s) present; wing(s) 1; wing(s) 1.5 mm wide; wing(s) sutural; wing(s) on 1 suture; substipitate; indehiscent, or with all layers dehiscing (tardily); splitting along suture(s). Dehiscence of valves along 1 suture; probably medial and up and down; passive. Replum invisible. Epicarp dull; monochrome, or multicolored; bichrome (irregularly, no pattern), or mottled and streaked (neither true mottling nor true streaking); brown (greenish with irregular dark-brown to purple patches), or green, or purple, or tan (greenish); with brown overlay (dark brown to dark purple); 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; chartaceous (or thinner). Endocarp present; visible; dull, or glossy (without "cobwebs"); opaque; monochrome; tan; cobwebby; without adhering pieces of testa; nonseptate; chartaceous; not exfoliating; remaining fused to mesocarp and epicarp; with wing(s) extending into epicarp; entire. Seed(s) 2–6; length parallel with fruit length; neither overlapping nor touching; in 1 series. Funiculus 0.5–3 mm long (most of length fused with valve and 1 branched); of 1 length only; flattened; curved. Aril absent.

Seed: 4.5–5 mm long; 4–4.5 mm wide; 2–2.8 mm thick; not overgrown; not angular, or angular (somewhat); asymmetrical; oblong, or circular, or reniform (more or less); compressed; with surface smooth; 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; not adhering to endocarp; free from endocarp; dull; not modified by a bloom; colored; monochrome; dark reddish brown or mixture of dark and darker reddish brown; glabrous; smooth; coriaceous. Pleurogram absent. Pseudopleurogram absent. Fracture lines absent. Rim absent. Wing(s) absent. Raphe not visible. Hilum present; visible; with faboid split; with the lips of the faboid split the same color as the rest of the hilum; larger than punctiform; 0.7 mm long; with straight outline; oblong; between cotyledon and radicle lobe; slightly flush; not within corona, halo, or rim, or within rim (faint); rim color of testa. Lens discernible; 0.5 mm long; with margins curved; circular (with linear center); not in groove of raphe; confluent with hilum, or adjacent to hilum; 0.1–0.2 mm from hilum; flush; dissimilar color from testa; lighter than testa; reddish tan; not within corona, halo, or rim. Endosperm present; thin; 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; not concealing radicle; split over radicle; with lobes; with the interface division terminating at base of radicle; without margins recessed; tan; 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; lobe tip straight; deflexed and parallel to cotyledon length; centered between cotyledons; less than 1/2 length of cotyledons. Plumule rudimentary; glabrous.

Distribution

Balkans and Turkey (Anatolia).

Old World; Europe and Mediterranean (Balkans and Turkey: Anatolia).

Tribal Notes

Tribe Genisteae

Traditionally this tribe has been called Genisteae. Reveal (1997) reported that the name Cytiseae was published before the name Genisteae. Following the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature (Greuter et al., 1994), the oldest name for a taxon must be used, so Reveal suggested that this tribe should be called Cytiseae. In 1999 Reveal (1999) reversed himself, so that this tribe remains the Genisteae. Bisby (1981) summarized tribe Genisteae, following the excellent study by Polhill (1976). Bisby correctly noted that "many species have been moved from one genus to another several times and the Cytisus-Genista complex has gained a reputation as a critical group." He continued with an indepth analysis of the tribe. Polhill (1994a, 1994b) and Van Wyk and Schutte (1995a), using chemical and morphological characters, transferred five genera from Crotalarieae (27) to Genisteae: Anarthrophyllum (30.06), Argyrolobium (30.03), Dichilus (30.02), Melolobium, and Sellocharis (30.07). Cristofolini (1997) carried out a cladistic study of the tribe's biogeography, and discussed its early evolutionary history. López et al. (2000) studied the species of this tribe occurring in southwestern Spain and presented detailed descriptions for and a key to them.