Prioria

Taxonomy

Prioria A.H.R. Grisebach Fl. Brit. W. Indian Isl. 215. 1860 (sero).

Subfamily: Caesalpinioideae.
Phylogenetic Number: 1.4.31.
Tribe: Detarieae.
Group: Crudia.
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; 9–13 cm long; 5.5–7 cm wide; 1.3–2.5 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; C-shaped, or harp-shaped to reniform (stated as obovate to circular); with nearly both sutures unequally curved, or both sutures parallelly curved, or 1 straight and 1 curved suture; widest near middle or D-shaped; not inflated; compressed; without beak; tapered at apex; oblique with longitudinal axis of fruit; tapered at base; oblique 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 plain; wing(s) absent; substipitate; indehiscent. Replum invisible. Epicarp dull; monochrome; dirty brown; with surface texture uniform; glabrous; eglandular; without spines; not smooth; with elevated features; veined; longitudinally veined relative to fruit length; not tuberculate; checking and 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; with fibers; without reniform canals; longitudinal fibrous throughout and mealy; ligneous. Endocarp present; visible; dull; opaque; monochrome; brown; without adhering pieces of testa; nonseptate; not exfoliating; remaining fused to mesocarp and epicarp; entire. Seed(s) 1; length parallel with fruit length. Funiculus 0.1–0.4 mm long ("less than 0.5 mm"); of 1 length only; thick; straight. Aril absent.

Seed: 55–65 mm long; 55 mm wide; 15 mm thick; not overgrown; not angular; symmetrical; circular; compressed; 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; usually absent or nearly so. Testa when present: dull; not modified by a bloom; colored; monochrome; brown; glabrous; not smooth; with elevated features; rugose and shagreen; chartaceous. Pleurogram absent. Pseudopleurogram absent. Fracture lines absent. Rim absent. Wing(s) absent. Raphe not visible. Hilum present; visible; without faboid split; larger than punctiform; 0.1–2 mm long; with curved outline; circular; 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; similar at apex; 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 glabrous.

Distribution

Jamaica, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Panama, Colombia.

New World; West Indies, Central America, and South America (Jamaica, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Panama, Colombia).

Generic Notes

Because of the paucity of seeds and the interlocking cotyledons, We were unable to locate a plumule and have no embryro drawing.

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.