Pseudosamanea

Taxonomy

Pseudosamanea H.A.T. Harms Notizbl. Bot. Gart. Berlin-Dahlem 11: 54. 30 Dec 1930.

Subfamily: Mimosoideae.
Phylogenetic Number: 2.5.04B.
Tribe: Ingeae.
Species Studied - Species in Genus: 1 studied; 2 in genus.

Description

Fruit: A legumelegume:
usually dry, dehiscent fruit derived from a single carpel that opens along two longitudinal sutures
; unilocular; (10–)12–22 cm long (Barmeby and Grimes, 1996); 2–4.6 cm wide (Barmeby and Grimes, 1996); ca. 0.2 cm thick; 2–9 times longer than wide; with deciduous androecial sheath; with deciduous corolla; with persistent calyx; with calyx much shorter than fruit; without orifice formed by curving of fruit or fruit segments; straight; not plicate; not twisted; symmetrical; linear, or oblong; not inflated; compressed; with beak; straight; with solid beak the same color and texture as fruit; rounded at apex, or truncate at apex; aligned with longitudinal axis of fruit; rounded at base; aligned with longitudinal axis of fruit, or oblique with longitudinal axis of fruit (slightly); with the apex and base uniform in texture; chartaceous; seed chambers externally visible; seed chambers with the raised seed chambers not torulose; margin constricted; margin slightly constricted only on 1 margin (along ventral suture in Pseudosamanea guachapele); margin without sulcus; margin plain; wing(s) absent; stipitate; with the stipe 12–16 mm long; with all layers dehiscing (Pseudosamanea guachapele), or indehiscent (P. cubana); splitting along suture(s). Dehiscence of valves along 1 suture (ventral); apical and down; passive. Replum invisible. Epicarp dull; monochrome; brown, or tan; with surface texture uniform; pubescent and indurate; with hairs erect; with 1 type of pubescence; puberulent, or tomentose; with pubescence tan; pubescence denser near sutures, sparser centrally; with simple hairs; pliable; with hair bases plain; eglandular; without spines; not smooth; with elevated features; veined; longitudinally veined relative to fruit length; not tuberculate; not exfoliating; without cracks; without embedded tissue, much thicker than epicarp, running from base to apex. Mesocarp absent. Endocarp present; visible; glossy; opaque; monochrome; white; smooth; without adhering pieces of testa; nonseptate; chartaceous; not exfoliating; remaining fused to epicarp; without wings; entire. Seed(s) (10–)12–30; length parallel with fruit length; neither overlapping nor touching; in 1 series. Funiculus 6–12 mm long; of 1 length only; filiform; straight and coiled (at the end). Aril present; dry; when dry rim-aril; entire; covering less than 1/2 of seed (very small covering only the hilum); without tongue (or flap) on lips of 2-lipped rim-aril; white.

Seed: 6–10 mm long (Barmeby and Grimes, 1996); 3.4–4.6 mm wide (Barmeby and Grimes, 1996); 1.5–2 mm thick; not overgrown; not angular; symmetrical; elliptic; 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; dull; not modified by a bloom; colored; monochrome; brown to tan to white; glabrous; smooth; chartaceous. Pleurogram present; 100 %. Pseudopleurogram absent. Fracture lines absent. Rim absent. Wing(s) absent. Raphe not visible. Hilum present; fully concealed; concealed by aril; without faboid split (presumed); larger than punctiform; ca. 0.5 mm long; with curved outline; circular; apical at apex of radicle tip; flush; not within corona, halo, or rim. Lens discernible; ca. 1 mm long; with margins straight; linear, or oblong; not in groove of raphe; confluent with hilum; flush; dissimilar color from testa; darker than testa; brown; not within corona, halo, or rim. Endosperm present; trace; not pluglike and not resembling tip of radicle; probably covering entire embryo (assumed); 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; split over radicle; without lobes; with the interface division terminating at base of radicle; without margins recessed; white; inner face flat; glabrous on inner face. Embryonic axis parallel; parallel to length of seed; without a joint evident between the radicle and the cotyledons. Radicle differentiated from cotyledon; bulbose; lobe tip straight; straight with embryonic axis; centered between cotyledons; less than 1/2 length of cotyledons. Plumule well developed; glabrous.

Distribution

One species, Pseudosamanea guachapele (C.S. Kunth) H.A.T. Harms, wide spread from southern Mexico to Peru and the other, P. cubana (N.L. Britton & J.N. Rose) R.C. Barneby & J.W. Grimes, endemic to Cuba.

New World; southern Mexico, West Indies, Central America, and South America (as far as Peru, and only Cuba in the West Indies); Peru and Ecuador.

Generic Notes

Barneby and Grimes (1996) recognized Pseudosamanea as a segregate from Albizia (2.5.03), and monographed the genus. Their species number and distribution are used.