Taverniera

Taxonomy

Taverniera A.P. de Candolle Prodr. 2: 339. Nov (med.) 1825.

Subfamily: Faboideae.
Phylogenetic Number: 3.18.03.
Tribe: Hedysareae.
Species Studied - Species in Genus: 9 studied; ca. 10 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) (with 2–4 joints); 1.25–1.5 cm long; 0.3–0.7 cm wide; 0.5–0.7 cm thick; length less than twice as long as width; with deciduous androecial sheath; with deciduous corolla, or persistent corolla; with standard petal; with persistent calyx, or deciduous calyx; with calyx shorter than fruit; without orifice formed by curving of fruit or fruit segments; straight; not plicate; not twisted; asymmetrical, or symmetrical; oblong; with 1 straight and 1 curved suture (or nearly straight); narrowest near middle, B-shaped; not inflated; compressed; without beak; rounded at apex, or short tapered at apex; aligned with longitudinal axis of fruit, or oblique with longitudinal axis of fruit; rounded at base; aligned with longitudinal axis of fruit; with the apex and base uniform in texture; coriaceous; seed chambers externally visible; seed chambers with the raised seed chambers torulose; margin constricted; margin constricted along both margins; margin without sulcus; margin embellished, or plain; margin with prickles, or spines; wing(s) absent; substipitate; 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) widest across seed area; segments (articles) with all essentially similar in shape; segments (articles) D-shaped, or circular. Epicarp dull, or glossy; monochrome; dark to reddish brown, or tan; with surface texture uniform; pubescent and indurate; with hairs erect, or appressed; with 1 type of pubescence; pilose; with pubescence gray; with pubescence uniformly distributed; with simple hairs; pliable; with hair bases plain; eglandular; with spines (either glabrous or hairy and with straight or hooked apices), or without spines; with spines persistent; with spines same color as the rest of the fruit; not smooth; with elevated features; veined, or not veined; reticulately veined; not tuberculate; not exfoliating; without cracks; without embedded tissue, much thicker than epicarp, running from base to apex. Mesocarp present; thin; surface not 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; septate; with septa thicker than paper, firm; chartaceous; not exfoliating; remaining fused to mesocarp and epicarp; without wings; entire. Seed(s) 2–3; length parallel with fruit length; neither overlapping nor touching; in 1 series. Funiculus 0.1–0.5 mm long; of 1 length only; filiform; curved. Aril absent.

Seed: 1.5–2.5 mm long; 1.1–2 mm wide; 0.5–1.1 mm thick; not overgrown; not angular; asymmetrical; mitaform, or reniform; compressed; with surface smooth; with visible radicle and cotyledon lobes; 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 (to greenish); glabrous; smooth; coriaceous. Pleurogram absent. Pseudopleurogram absent. Fracture lines absent. Rim absent. Wing(s) absent. Raphe not visible. Hilum present; partially concealed; concealed by funicular remnant; without faboid split; punctiform; between cotyledon and radicle lobe; recessed; within rim; rim color of testa, or darker than testa. Lens discernible; 0.1–0.5 mm long; with margins straight, or curved; oblong; circular, or oblong; not in groove of raphe; confluent with hilum, or adjacent to hilum; 0.1–0.5 mm from hilum; mounded (light colored mound within darker area); similar color as testa, or dissimilar color from testa; darker than testa; black, or brown (greenish); 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; green; 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; deflexed and parallel to cotyledon length; centered between cotyledons; less than 1/2 length of cotyledons. Plumule rudimentary; glabrous.

Distribution

Horn of Africa and Socotra through Middle East to western India.

Old World; Mediterranean to Africa to Southwest Asia to India (western, Africa (Horn of Africa and Socotra) to Asia (Middle East)).

Generic Notes

Polhill (1981j) noted that the genus has "about ten species (several undescribed).

Tribal Notes

Tribe Hedysareae

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