Streblorrhiza

Taxonomy

Streblorrhiza S.F.L. Endlicher Prodr. Fl. Norfolk 92. Post 12 Mai 1833.

Subfamily: Faboideae.
Phylogenetic Number: 3.17.01.
Tribe: Carmichaelieae.
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; 4.5–8 cm long; 1.8–2 cm wide; 0.3 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; asymmetrical, or symmetrical; oblong, or falcate (obliquely subfalcate); with both sutures parallelly curved to both sutures unequally curved; not inflated; compressed; without beak; tapered at apex; right-angled with longitudinal axis of fruit; tapered at base; aligned with longitudinal axis of fruit; with the apex and base uniform in texture; coriaceous; seed chambers externally barely visible; margin not constricted; margin without sulcus; margin plain; wing(s) absent; stipitate; with the stipe 4–6 mm long. Replum invisible. Epicarp dull; monochrome; dark brown; with surface texture uniform; pubescent but soon deciduous to glabrous (with age); with hairs erect; with 1 type of pubescence; 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 absent. Endocarp present; visible; dull; opaque; monochrome; brown; densely, long hairy (villous); without adhering pieces of testa; with hairs scattered over endocarp; chartaceous; not exfoliating; remaining fused to epicarp; without wings; entire. Seed(s) length parallel with fruit length; neither overlapping nor touching; in 1 series. Aril absent.

Seed: 6 mm long; 4.5 mm wide; 3 mm thick; not overgrown; not angular; asymmetrical; reniform; 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; dull; not modified by a bloom; colored; monochrome; dark reddish brown; glabrous; smooth; coriaceous. Pleurogram absent. Pseudopleurogram absent. Fracture lines absent. Rim absent. Wing(s) absent. Raphe visible; from hilum to lens; not bifurcating; color of testa; recessed. Hilum present; fully concealed, or partially concealed; concealed by radicle lobe; with faboid split; with the lips of the faboid split the same color as the rest of the hilum; larger than punctiform; 1 mm long; with curved outline; elliptic; marginal according to radicle tip; recessed; not within corona, halo, or rim. Lens discernible; with margins curved; circular; in groove of raphe; adjacent to hilum; 1.5 mm from hilum; recessed; 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 not smooth; 1–3 grooves on each face (with a single central groove running the length of each cotyledon); both outer faces convex; both the same thickness; 1 longer than other; with only 1 folded; not sufficiently folded for inner face to touch itself; portions of inner folded face unequal; margin entire 180 degrees from base of radicle; similar at apex; not concealing radicle; 1 cotyledon scooped out to accommodate plicate radicle and other cotyledon entire; without lobes; with the interface division terminating at base of radicle; without margins recessed; tan; 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; bulbose; lobe tip straight; with 360 degree turn and with 90 degree turn; centered between cotyledons; exceeding length of cotyledons. Plumule rudimentary; glabrous.

Distribution

Philip Island.

Old World; Australia.

Generic Notes

Polhill (1981i) noted that Streblorrhiza is extinct. Hutchinson (1964) stated that the "embryonic axis is twice folded." We were able to study only one mature pod and one mature seed.

Tribal Notes

Tribe Carmichaelieae

Hutchinson (1964) established tribe Carmichaelieae, and Polhill (1981i, 1994a, 1994b) accepted it. Heenan (1995, 1998c), utilizing unpublished nuclear ribosomal DNA ITS data, concluded that "Carmichaelia (17.05) is nested within [the] 'Astragalean clade' of Galegeae" and is the sister group of Clianthus (16.01). He therefore supported the proposal of Sanderson and Wojciehowski (1996) that Carmichaelieae should not be recognized at tribal level, but rather included in Galegeae (16). He (Heenan, 1998c) also carried out cladistic analyses of Carmichaelia (17.05), Chordospartium (17.03), Corollospartium (17.04), and Notospartium (17.02) using morphological and anatomical characters. He (Heenan, 1998a, 1998c) concluded that "Carmichaelia is paraphyletic with Chordospartium, Corollospartium, and Notospartium excluded," and reunited them with Carmichaelia.