Stracheya

Taxonomy

Stracheya G. Bentham Hooker's J. Bot. Kew Gard. Misc. 5: 306. Oct 1853.

Subfamily: Faboideae.
Phylogenetic Number: 3.18.04.
Tribe: Hedysareae.
Species Studied - Species in Genus: 1 studied; 1 in genus.

Description

Fruit: A legumelegume:
usually dry, dehiscent fruit derived from a single carpel that opens along two longitudinal sutures
; unilocular; 2–3 cm long; 0.6–0.7 cm wide (excluding spines); 0.2 cm thick (excluding spines); 2–9 times longer than wide; with deciduous androecial sheath; with deciduous corolla; with persistent calyx; with calyx shorter than fruit; without orifice formed by curving of fruit or fruit segments; slightly curved, or straight; not plicate; not twisted; asymmetrical, or symmetrical; linear, or oblong; with both sutures nearly straight; not inflated; compressed (but spines along sutures and midvalve (4 rows of spines)); without beak; truncate at apex; aligned with longitudinal axis of fruit; short 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 embellished; margin with spines; wing(s) absent; nonstipitate; indehiscent. Replum invisible. Epicarp dull; monochrome; reddish brown; with surface texture uniform; pubescent and indurate; with hairs appressed; with 1 type of pubescence; with pubescence gray; with pubescence uniformly distributed; with simple hairs; pliable; with hair bases plain; eglandular; with spines (along sutures and midvalves (4 rows) on fruit); with spines persistent; with spines same color as the rest of the fruit; not smooth; with elevated features; not veined; not tuberculate; not exfoliating; without cracks; without embedded tissue, much thicker than epicarp, running from base to apex. Mesocarp present; thin; surface uniformly veined; 1-layered; without balsamic vesicles; without fibers; without reniform canals; solid; coriaceous. Endocarp present; visible; dull; opaque; monochrome; tan; smooth; without adhering pieces of testa; nonseptate (but seeds seated like a ball and socket in fruit); chartaceous; not exfoliating; remaining fused to mesocarp and epicarp; without wings; entire. Seed(s) 5; length parallel with fruit length; neither overlapping nor touching; in 1 series. Funiculus of 1 length only; thick; straight. Aril absent.

Seed: 2–2.7 mm long; 1.3–2 mm wide; 0.7 mm thick; not overgrown; not angular; asymmetrical; reniform; compressed; with surface smooth; 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; dull; not modified by a bloom, or modified by a bloom; colored; monochrome; dark reddish brown; glabrous; not smooth; with elevated features; shagreen; coriaceous. Pleurogram absent. Pseudopleurogram absent. Fracture lines absent. Rim absent. Wing(s) absent. Raphe visible; from hilum to lens; not bifurcating; darker than testa; black; flush. Hilum present; fully concealed; concealed by funicular remnant; without faboid split; punctiform; between cotyledon and radicle lobe; recessed; not within corona, halo, or rim. Lens discernible, or not discernible; with margins curved; circular; not in groove of raphe; adjacent to hilum; 0.8 mm from hilum; flush; dissimilar color from testa; darker than testa; black; not within corona, halo, or rim. Endosperm present; thin; 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 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; tan; 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; linear; lobe tip straight; deflexed and parallel to cotyledon length; centered between cotyledons; less than 1/2 length of cotyledons. Plumule rudimentary; glabrous.

Distribution

Kashmir, Tibet, Sikkim, and Nepal.

Old World; Southwest Asia, India, and China (Kashmir, Tibet, Sikkim, Nepal).

Generic Notes

Little is known about this monotypic genus, And Viswanathan (1995) revised it. The fruits appear to be indehiscent and are not lomentsloments:
usually dry fruit derived from a single carpel that breaks transversely into one-seeded fruit segments
. The fruits are definitely echinate-dentate with spines in four rows. Only pressed fruits were seen.

Tribal Notes

Tribe Hedysareae

Polhill (1981j) primarily used fruit characters for his key to genera of this tribe.