Sphinga

Taxonomy

Sphinga R.C. Barneby & J.W. Grimes Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 74(1): 160. 25 Mar 1996.

Subfamily: Mimosoideae.
Phylogenetic Number: 2.5.12A.
Tribe: Ingeae.
Species Studied - Species in Genus: 2 studied; 3 in genus.

Description

Fruit: A legumelegume:
usually dry, dehiscent fruit derived from a single carpel that opens along two longitudinal sutures
; unilocular; 5.5–20 cm long (Barneby and Grimes, 1996); 1.2–3.6 cm wide (Barneby and Grimes, 1996); 0.3–0.5 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 (rarely, S. acatlensis (G.Bentham) R.C. Barneby & J.W. Grimes); not plicate; not twisted; symmetrical, or asymmetrical (rarely, S. acatlensis (G.Bentham) R.C. Barneby & J.W. Grimes); oblong, or falcate (rarely, S. acatlensis (G.Bentham) R.C. Barneby & J.W. Grimes); with both sutures parallelly curved; not inflated; compressed, or flattened; with beak (1–9(-15) mm long); straight; with solid beak the same color and texture as fruit; tapered at apex, or rounded at apex; aligned with longitudinal axis of fruit; tapered at base, or 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 to slightly constricted along both margins (between the seeds); margin without sulcus; margin embellished, or plain; margin with thickened sutural areas; wing(s) absent; stipitate; with the stipe 3–20 mm long (Barneby and Grimes, 1996); with all layers dehiscing; splitting along suture(s). Dehiscence of valves along both sutures; passive. Replum invisible. Epicarp dull; monochrome; brown, or gray; with surface texture uniform; glabrous, or pubescent and indurate; with hairs erect; with 1 type of pubescence; sericeous; with pubescence gray; with pubescence uniformly distributed; with simple hairs; pliable; with hair bases plain; eglandular; without spines; not smooth; with elevated features; veined; transversely 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 (Sphinga acatlensis (G. Bentham) R.C. Barneby & J.W. Grimes), or absent (S. platyloba (A.P. de Candolle) R.C. Barneby & J.W. Grimes); thin; surface not veined; 1-layered; without balsamic vesicles; without fibers; without reniform canals; spongy; chartaceous. Endocarp present; visible; dull to glossy; opaque; monochrome; tan to white; smooth; without adhering pieces of testa; nonseptate; chartaceous; not exfoliating; remaining fused to mesocarp and epicarp; remaining fused to epicarp; without wings; entire. Seed(s) 6–10 (Barneby and Grimes, 1996); length parallel with fruit length; neither overlapping nor touching; in 1 series. Funiculus 1–7 mm long; of 1 length only; filiform; S-curved (when seeds large and fruit narrow), or straight (when seeds smaller and fruit wider). Aril absent.

Seed: 7–17 mm long; 5.8–14 mm wide; 1.4–3.5 mm thick; not overgrown; angular, or not angular; symmetrical; oblong, or quadrangular, or rectangular; flattened; with surface smooth; without visible radicle and cotyledon lobes; with shallow 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; brown; glabrous; smooth; chartaceous. Pleurogram present (area enclosed by pleurogram a liter shade of brown than the rest of the testa); 70–95 %. Pseudopleurogram absent. Fracture lines absent. Rim present (0.5–0.7 mm wide); wing-like around seed (0.5–0.7 mm wide). Wing(s) absent. Raphe not visible. Hilum present; fully concealed; concealed by funicular remnant; without faboid split (assumed); larger than punctiform; 0.3–0.5 mm long; with curved outline; elliptic; apical at apex of radicle tip; flush; not within corona, halo, or rim. Lens discernible; 0.3–0.4 mm long; with margins straight; linear; not in groove of raphe; confluent with hilum; flush; dissimilar color from testa; lighter than testa; white; not within corona, halo, or rim. 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 lobes; with lobes overlapping; with basal groin formed by lobes; with the interface division terminating at base of radicle; without margins recessed; brown; 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

Southern Mexico and Guatemala, Cuba, northern Colombia and Venezuela, and Dutch West Indies.

New World; southern Mexico, Central America, West Indies, and South America (Southern Mexico and Guatemala, Cuba, northern Colombia and Venezuela, and Dutch West Indies).

Generic Notes

Barneby and Grimes created this genus to accomodate three species, Sphinga acatlensis (G. Bentham) R.C. Barneby & J.W. Grimes, S. platyloba (A.P. de Candolle) R.C. Barneby & J.W. Grimes, and S. prehensilis (C. Wright) R.C. Barneby & J.W. Grimes, , formerly in Havardia (2.5.13). They differ from Havardia in their "greatly elongated perianth...with long silky corolla expanding at nightfall." Barneby and Grimes' species count and distribution are used.