Serianthes

Taxonomy

Serianthes G. Bentham London J. Bot. 3: 225. 1844.

Subfamily: Mimosoideae.
Phylogenetic Number: 2.5.15.
Tribe: Ingeae.
Species Studied - Species in Genus: 8 studied; 17 in genus.

Description

Fruit: A legumelegume:
usually dry, dehiscent fruit derived from a single carpel that opens along two longitudinal sutures
; unilocular; 7–35 cm long; 2.5–8 cm wide; 0.7–2.7 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 to curved, or 0.5-coiled; not plicate; not twisted; symmetrical; ovate to oblong, or linear (occasionally with 1–2 mature seeds near apex); not inflated; compressed; without beak; short tapered at apex to rounded at apex; aligned with longitudinal axis of fruit, or oblique with longitudinal axis of fruit (slightly); short tapered at base to rounded at base; aligned with longitudinal axis of fruit, or oblique with longitudinal axis of fruit; with the apex and base uniform in texture; ligneous; seed chambers externally visible, or invisible; margin not constricted to constricted; margin constricted along both margins; margin without sulcus; margin plain; wing(s) absent; nonstipitate to substipitate; with the stipe not exceeding 5 mm long; indehiscent, or with all layers dehiscing (tardily, valves remaining attached to sutures); splitting along suture(s). Dehiscence of valves passive. Replum invisible. Epicarp dull; monochrome; brown (to purple brown or blackish brown); with surface texture uniform; glabrous to pubescent but soon deciduous (eroding with age revealing shagreen surface); with hairs erect; velutinous; with simple hairs; eglandular; without spines; not smooth; with elevated features; not veined, or veined; parallelly, obliquely veined relative to fruit length (anastomosing near center of valve); not tuberculate; shagreen; 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; without reniform canals; fibrous throughout; ligneous. Endocarp present; visible; dull; opaque; monochrome; brown; smooth; without adhering pieces of testa; septate; not exfoliating; remaining fused to mesocarp and epicarp; entire. Seed(s) 1–6; length transverse to fruit length; neither overlapping nor touching; in 1 series. Funiculus up to 18 mm long; of 1 length only; filiform; curved. Aril absent.

Seed: 12–20 mm long; 7–11 mm wide; 1–5 mm thick; not overgrown; not angular; symmetrical; elliptic to ovate; 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; dark reddish brown to brown; glabrous; smooth; coriaceous to osseous. Pleurogram present; 90–100 %. Pseudopleurogram absent. Fracture lines present, or absent. Rim absent. Wing(s) absent. Raphe not visible. Hilum present; visible to fully concealed; concealed by funicular remnant; without faboid split; punctiform; subapical to radicle tip; flush; not within corona, halo, or rim. Lens discernible; 0.2 mm long; with margins curved; elliptic; not in groove of raphe; flush to mounded; similar color as testa; lighter than testa; tan; within corona (partial), or not within corona, halo, or rim; corona color darker than testa (black). Endosperm absent. Cotyledons smooth; both outer faces flat; 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; 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; straight with embryonic axis; centered between cotyledons. Plumule well developed; glabrous.

Distribution

Malay Peninsula and Archipelago, Philippines, New Caledonia, Oceania.

Old World; Indochina, Indonesia and the Philippines, Pacific, and Fiji.

Generic Notes

Kanis (1979) has monographed the Malayan species, and Nielsen et al. (1983) named a new species. Nielsen et al. (1983a, 1984) revised the genus, and their species count and distribution are used.