Soemmeringia

Taxonomy

Soemmeringia C.F.P. von Martius Soemmeringia Nov. Pl. Gen. 27. 1828.

Subfamily: Faboideae.
Phylogenetic Number: 3.14.10.
Tribe: Aeschynomeneae.
Subtribe: Aeschynomeninae.
Species Studied - Species in Genus: 1 studied; 1 in genus.

Description

Fruit: A lomentloment:
usually dry fruit derived from a single carpel that breaks transversely into one-seeded fruit segments
(or a lomentloment:
usually dry fruit derived from a single carpel that breaks transversely into one-seeded fruit segments
segment); 0.4–0.5 cm long; 0.18–0.2 cm wide; 0.05–0.06 cm thick; length less than twice as long as width; with persistent androecial sheath, or deciduous androecial sheath; with persistent corolla, or deciduous corolla; with various petals; with persistent calyx; with calyx longer than fruit; without orifice formed by curving of fruit or fruit segments; somewhat contorted; somewhat plicate to not plicate; not twisted; asymmetrical; moniliform; with both sutures parallelly curved; not inflated; compressed; without beak; rounded at apex; aligned with longitudinal axis of fruit; rounded at base; aligned with longitudinal axis of fruit; 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 constricted along both margins; margin without sulcus; margin plain; wing(s) absent; nonstipitate; indehiscent. Replum invisible. Lomentloment:
usually dry fruit derived from a single carpel that breaks transversely into one-seeded fruit segments
indehiscent; segments (articles) inconspicuous; segments (articles) 1.5–2 mm long; segments (articles) widest across seed area; segments (articles) with all essentially similar in shape; segments (articles) circular. Epicarp dull; monochrome; brown; with surface texture uniform; glabrous; 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 absent. Endocarp present; visible; dull; opaque; monochrome; tan; smooth; without adhering pieces of testa; septate; with septa thicker than paper, firm; with septa eglandular; chartaceous; not exfoliating; remaining fused to epicarp; without wings; entire. Seed(s) 2–4; length parallel with fruit length; neither overlapping nor touching; in 1 series. Funiculus of 1 length only; flattened; straight. Aril present; dry; when dry rim-aril; entire; reddish brown.

Seed: 1 mm long; 1 mm wide; 0.3 mm thick; not overgrown; not angular; asymmetrical; mitaform; compressed; 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; glossy, or dull; not modified by a bloom; colored; monochrome; brown (dark brown), or green; glabrous; smooth; coriaceous. Pleurogram absent. Pseudopleurogram absent. Fracture lines absent. Rim absent. Wing(s) absent. Raphe not visible. Hilum present; visible, or fully concealed; concealed by funicular remnant; with faboid split; with the lips of the faboid split the same color as the rest of the hilum; punctiform; between cotyledon and radicle lobe; recessed; not within corona, halo, or rim. Lens discernible; with margins straight, or curved; irregular; irregular; not in groove of raphe; adjacent to hilum; 0.2 mm from hilum; mounded; dissimilar color from testa; darker than testa; black (on dark brown testa), or brown (on green testa); not within corona, halo, or rim. Endosperm present; thick; 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 not entire 180 degrees from base of radicle; similar at apex; partially concealing radicle; split over radicle; with lobes; with lobes not touching; with the interface division terminating at base of radicle; without margins recessed; yellow; 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; nearly bulbose; lobe tip straight; deflexed and parallel to cotyledon width; centered between cotyledons; less than 1/2 length of cotyledons. Plumule moderately developed; glabrous.

Distribution

Venezuela, Brazil, and Bolivia.

New World; South America (Venezuela, Brazil, and Bolivia); Brazil.

Generic Notes

Apparently the marcescent corolla acts as a wing in fruit dispersal, And therefore aids in seed dissemination.

Tribal Notes

Tribe Aeschynomeneae

Rudd (1981a) recognized four subtribes of Aeschynomeneae: Ormocarpinae V.E. Rudd (genera 3.14.01–3.14.08), Aeschynomeninae (genera 3.14.09–3.14.16), Discolobinae (A.E. Burkart) V.E. Rudd (genus 3.14.17: Discolobium), Poiretiinae (A.E. Burkart) V.E. Rudd (genera 3.14.18–3.14.21), and Stylosanthinae (G. Bentham) V.E. Rudd (genera 3.14.22–13.4.26). Tribal and subtribal placement of Diphysa is based on Lavin (1987; Polhill, 1994a, 1994b), and not on Polhill and Sousa (1981), who placed Diphysa in Robinieae. Bailey et al. (1997), using the chloroplast rpl2 intron and ORF184, suggested that Brya (11.01), Cranocarpus (11.02), Phylacium (11.22), and Neocollettia (11.26) are not members of Desmodieae (11) and that they probably belong in Aeschynomeneae.