Vermifrux

Taxonomy

Vermifrux J.B. Gillett Kew Bull. 20: 245. 9 Sep 1966.

Subfamily: Faboideae.
Phylogenetic Number: 3.13.10.
Tribe: Loteae.
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; 0.4–0.6 cm long; 0.15–0.17 cm wide; 0.15–0.2 cm thick; 2–9 times longer than wide; with deciduous androecial sheath; with deciduous corolla; with deciduous calyx, or persistent calyx (rarely); with calyx shorter than fruit; with orifice formed by curving of fruit or fruit segments, or without orifice formed by curving of fruit or fruit segments; 1-coiled, or 0.5-coiled, or curved; not plicate; not twisted; asymmetrical; coiled, or C-shaped; with both sutures parallelly curved; not inflated; terete; without beak; short tapered at apex; oblique with longitudinal axis of fruit; short tapered at base; oblique with longitudinal axis of fruit; with the apex and base uniform in texture; coriaceous; seed chambers externally invisible, or visible (faintly); margin not constricted; margin without sulcus; margin embellished; margin with wing(s); wing(s) present (very narrow); wing(s) 1; wing(s) 0.3 mm wide; wing(s) sutural; wing(s) on 1 suture; nonstipitate; indehiscent. Replum invisible. Epicarp glossy; monochrome; reddish brown, or tan; with surface texture uniform; glabrous; eglandular; without spines; not smooth; with elevated features; 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; glossy; opaque; monochrome; reddish brown; smooth; without adhering pieces of testa; nonseptate; chartaceous; not exfoliating; remaining fused to mesocarp and epicarp; with wing(s) extending into epicarp (slightly); entire. Seed(s) 2; length parallel with fruit length; neither overlapping nor touching; in 1 series. Funiculus of 1 length only; filiform; straight. Aril absent.

Seed: 1.8–2 mm long; 0.9–1 mm wide; 0.7–0.8 mm thick; not overgrown; not angular; asymmetrical; C-shaped; terete; with surface smooth; without 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; 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 not visible. Hilum present; fully concealed; concealed by funicular remnant; without faboid split; punctiform; marginal according to radicle tip; flush; within rim; rim color slightly darker than testa. Lens discernible; with margins curved; elliptic; not in groove of raphe; adjacent to hilum; 0.1 mm from hilum; mounded; 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; brown; inner face flat; glabrous on inner face. Embryonic axis deflexed; oblique to length of seed; with a joint evident between the radicle and the cotyledons. Radicle differentiated from cotyledon; somewhat bulbose, or linear; deflexed and parallel to cotyledon length; centered between cotyledons; less than 1/2 length of cotyledons. Plumule rudimentary; glabrous.

Distribution

Africa (Yemen, Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia).

Old World; Africa and Southwest Asia (Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Yeman).

Generic Notes

This genus was part of Lotus (13.07) in the report of Polhill (1981k), but Vermifrux often has been recognized as a separate genus. Tikhomirov and Sokoloff (1997) examined the taxonomic status of Vermifrux abyssinica, and concluded that Vermifrux and Dorycnopsis are synonymous. Therefore they made the new combination D. abyssinica (A. Richard) V.N. Tikhomirov & D.D. Sokoloff for the only species of Vermifrux. Pending further evaluation, we are accepting Vermifrux.

Tribal Notes

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).