Subfamily: Faboideae.
Phylogenetic Number: 3.13.03.
Tribe: Loteae.
Species Studied - Species in Genus: 1 studied; 1 in genus.
Fruit: A legumelegume:
usually dry, dehiscent fruit derived from a single carpel that opens along two longitudinal sutures.jpg)
; unilocular; 0.9–1 cm long; 0.3–0.4 cm wide; 0.2 cm thick; 2–9 times longer than wide; with deciduous androecial sheath; with deciduous corolla; with persistent calyx; with calyx longer than fruit (and inflated); without orifice formed by curving of fruit or fruit segments; straight; not plicate; not twisted; asymmetrical; oblong; with both sutures unequally curved, or both sutures parallelly curved; not inflated (but calyx inflated); terete; with beak (1 mm long); with solid beak the same color and texture as fruit; short tapered 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, or fragile, thinner than chartaceous, like Trifolium; seed chambers externally visible; seed chambers with the raised seed chambers torulose; margin constricted; margin constricted along both margins; margin without sulcus; margin plain; wing(s) absent; substipitate; indehiscent (but fragile enough to open easily). Replum invisible. Epicarp dull; multicolored; streaked (because streaked endocarp is seen through epicarp); tan; with reddish brown overlay; with surface texture uniform; pubescent and indurate; with hairs erect; with 1 type of pubescence; puberulent; with pubescence golden, or gray; with pubescence uniformly distributed; with simple hairs (straight); pliable; with hair bases plain; eglandular; without spines; smooth, or not smooth; veined, or not veined; reticulately veined (some best seen from endocarp view); 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; streaked; tan; with streaking above and below seed chambers; with reddish brown overlay; smooth; without adhering pieces of testa; septate; with septa thin (tissue paper-like), flexible; with septa eglandular; chartaceous; not exfoliating; remaining fused to epicarp; entire. Seed(s) (1–)2; length parallel with fruit length; neither overlapping nor touching; in 1 series. Funiculus of 1 length only; filiform; straight. Aril absent.
Seed: 3–3.5 mm long; 2.8–3.2 mm wide; 1.5–2.5 mm thick; not overgrown; not angular, or angular (to somewhat); asymmetrical; oblong, or reniform; compressed; with surface smooth; without visible 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, or with pieces of adhering epicarp (occasionally); not adhering to endocarp; free from endocarp; dull; not modified by a bloom; colored; monochrome, or streaked and mottled; with frequent mottles; with frequent streaks; brown (reddish), or tan; with black overlay; glabrous; not smooth (and distinctly grooved between cotyledons especially opposite from hilum); with elevated features; tuberculate; coriaceous. Pleurogram absent. Pseudopleurogram absent. Fracture lines absent. Rim absent. Wing(s) absent. Raphe not visible. Hilum present; partially 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; marginal according to radicle tip, or between cotyledon and radicle lobe; recessed; not within corona, halo, or rim. Lens obviously or faintly discernible, or not discernible; with margins curved; circular, or elliptic; not in groove of raphe; adjacent to hilum; 0.5 mm from hilum; mounded; same color as testa, or similar color as testa, or dissimilar color from testa; lighter than testa, or darker than testa; reddish brown, or tan (reddish), or black; not within corona, halo, or rim. Endosperm present; thick; not pluglike and not resembling tip of radicle; covering entire embryo; adnate to embryo. 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; deflexed and parallel to cotyledon length; centered between cotyledons; less than 1/2 length of cotyledons. Plumule rudimentary; glabrous.
Mediterranean region, South Portugal.
Old World; Europe (southern Portugal), or Mediterranean, or Africa.
This genus was part of Anthyllis (13.02) in the report of Polhill (1981k), but Tripodion now is recognized as a separate genus (Polhill, 1994a, 1994b). Previously Tripodion also was known as Physanthyllis P.E. Boissier. The testa fragments on imbibition as does that of Cyamopsis (9.06).
Tribe Loteae
In 1981, Polhill (1981k) accepted much broader generic circumscriptions in tribe Loteae, and only accepted four genera in the tribe: Cytisopsis, Anthyllis (13.02), Hymenocarpus (13.04), and Lotus (13.07). In his most recent classification of Fabaceae (Polhill, 1994a, 1994b), he combined tribes Loteae and Coronilleae and accepted six segregate genera in Loteae, s.s.: Tripodion (13.03), Dorycnopsis (13.05), Dorycnium (13.06), Podolotus J.F. Royle (13.08), Pseudolotus K.H. Rechinger (13.09), and Vermifrux (13.10).
Authors: J.H. Kirkbride, Jr., C.R. Gunn, A.L. Weitzman, M.J. Dallwitz, K.R. Thiele
Content last updated April 2003
Released April 2024 on idtools.org
