Rhynchotropis

Taxonomy

Rhynchotropis H.A.T. Harms Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 30: 86. 12 Mar 1901.

Subfamily: Faboideae.
Phylogenetic Number: 3.9.03.
Tribe: Indigofereae.
Species Studied - Species in Genus: 2 studied; 2 in genus.

Description

Fruit: A legumelegume:
usually dry, dehiscent fruit derived from a single carpel that opens along two longitudinal sutures
; unilocular; 4.7 cm long; 0.4 cm wide; 0.4 cm thick; 2–9 times longer than wide; 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; linear; not inflated; terete; without beak; long tapered at apex; aligned with longitudinal axis of fruit; long tapered at base; aligned with longitudinal axis of fruit; with the apex and base uniform in texture; coriaceous; seed chambers externally invisible; margin not constricted; margin without sulcus; margin plain; wing(s) absent; nonstipitate; with all layers dehiscing; splitting along suture(s). Dehiscence of valves along 1 suture (assumed); passive. Replum invisible. Epicarp dull; monochrome; brown; with surface texture uniform; glabrous; 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 present; thin; surface not veined; 1-layered; without balsamic vesicles; without fibers; without reniform canals; solid; coriaceous. Endocarp present; visible; dull; opaque; monochrome; brown (reddish); smooth; without adhering pieces of testa; septate; with septa thicker than paper, firm; with septa eglandular; chartaceous; not exfoliating; remaining fused to mesocarp and epicarp; without wings; entire. Seed(s) 4–6; length parallel with fruit length; neither overlapping nor touching; in 1 series. Funiculus of 1 length only; thick; straight. Aril absent.

Seed: 4.6 mm long; 2 mm wide; 0.6 mm thick; overgrown, 1 seed filling entire fruit cavity; not angular; asymmetrical; reniform; 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; not modified by a bloom; colored; monochrome; dark brown; glabrous; not smooth; with recessed features; finely grooved; chartaceous. 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 lighter colored than the rest of the hilum and therefore conspicuous; punctiform; apical according to radicle tip but marginal according to seed length; recessed; within rim; rim color lighter than testa. Lens discernible; 0.7 mm long; with margins straight; oblong; not in groove of raphe; adjacent to hilum; 0.7 mm from hilum; flush; same color as testa; dark brown; not within corona, halo, or rim. Endosperm absent. 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; entire over radicle; without lobes; with the interface division terminating at base of radicle; without margins recessed; dark brown; inner face flat; glabrous on inner face. Embryonic axis straight; oblique to length of seed; without a joint evident between the radicle and the cotyledons. Radicle differentiated from cotyledon; linear; lobe tip straight; oblique to cotyledons; centered between cotyledons; less than 1/2 length of cotyledons. Plumule rudimentary; glabrous.

Distribution

South-Central Africa.

Old World; south Central Africa.

Generic Notes

Du Puy et al. (2002) did not include it in The Leguminosae of Madagascar.

Tribal Notes

Tribe Indigofereae

Schrire (1995) carried out extensive cladistic anaylses with Indigofereae genera and infrageneric taxa of Indigofera (9.07).