Xiphotheca

Taxonomy

Xiphotheca C.F. Ecklon & J.M. Zeyher Enum. 166. Jan-Feb 1836.

Subfamily: Faboideae.
Phylogenetic Number: 3.25.01.
Tribe: Podalyrieae.
Subtribe: Xiphothecinae.
Species Studied - Species in Genus: 1 studied; 9 in genus.

Description

Fruit: A legumelegume:
usually dry, dehiscent fruit derived from a single carpel that opens along two longitudinal sutures
; unilocular; 1.5–3.8 cm long; 0.6–0.9 cm wide; 0.3–0.4 cm thick; 2–9 times longer than wide; with deciduous androecial sheath; with deciduous corolla; with persistent calyx, or deciduous calyx; with calyx shorter than fruit; without orifice formed by curving of fruit or fruit segments; straight, or curved (rarely); not plicate; not twisted; asymmetrical, or symmetrical (rarely); obliquely obovate, or obliquely ovate, or oblong (rarely); with both sutures unequally curved, or both sutures parallelly curved (rarely); not inflated, or inflated (rarely); compressed; with beak (1–5 mm long); straight; with solid beak the same color and texture as fruit; tapered at apex to long tapered at apex; aligned with longitudinal axis of fruit, or oblique with longitudinal axis of fruit (slightly); tapered at base, or long tapered at base; oblique with longitudinal axis of fruit, or aligned with longitudinal axis of fruit; with the apex and base uniform in texture; chartaceous; seed chambers externally invisible, or visible; seed chambers with the raised seed chambers not torulose; margin not constricted, or constricted; margin slightly constricted along both margins; margin without sulcus; margin plain; wing(s) absent; nonstipitate; with all layers dehiscing; splitting along suture(s). Dehiscence of valves along both sutures (assumed); active (assumed); with valves twisting (slightly). Replum invisible. Epicarp dull; monochrome; brown to tan; with surface texture uniform; pubescent and indurate, or glabrous (rarely); with hairs erect; with 1 type of pubescence; tomentose, or villous (densely), or velutinous, or hirsute; with pubescence brown; with pubescence uniformly distributed; with simple hairs (straight); pliable; with hair bases plain; eglandular; without spines; smooth; not veined; not tuberculate; not exfoliating; without cracks; without embedded tissue, much thicker than epicarp, running from base to apex. Mesocarp present; trace; surface not veined; 1-layered; without balsamic vesicles; without fibers; without reniform canals; solid. Endocarp present; visible; glossy; opaque; monochrome; tan; smooth; without adhering pieces of testa; nonseptate; chartaceous; not exfoliating; remaining fused to mesocarp and epicarp; without wings; entire. Seed(s) 1–6; length parallel with fruit length; neither overlapping nor touching; in 1 series. Funiculus 0.4–0.8 mm long; of 1 length only; flattened; straight. Aril present; fleshy; when fleshy cupshaped (with a narrow opening on the micropylar side), or horseshoe shaped (with the opening towards the micropyle); entire; covering less than 1/2 of seed; orangish tan, or white.

Seed: 3.5–4.5 mm long; 2.5–3.5 mm wide; ca. 2 mm thick; not overgrown; not angular; asymmetrical; reniform (oblong), or oblong; 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; not adhering to endocarp; free from endocarp; glossy; not modified by a bloom; colored; mottled, or monochrome (rarely); with frequent mottles; greenish tan to tan, or brown; with brown overlay (darker); glabrous; smooth; coriaceous. Pleurogram absent. Pseudopleurogram absent. Fracture lines absent. Rim absent. Wing(s) absent. Raphe visible; from hilum through lens and terminating before base of seed; not bifurcating; color of testa, or darker than testa; brown; flush. Hilum present; partially concealed; concealed by aril; with faboid split; with the lips of the faboid split the same color as the rest of the hilum; larger than punctiform; 0.5–1 mm long; with curved outline; elliptic; apical according to radicle tip but marginal according to seed length; recessed; within rim, or not within corona, halo, or rim; rim color darker than testa. Lens discernible; 1.2–1.5 mm long; with margins straight; oblong; not in groove of raphe; confluent with hilum; mounded; similar color as testa, or dissimilar color from testa; darker than testa; brown; 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 oblique; perpendicular to length of seed; without a joint evident between the radicle and the cotyledons. Radicle differentiated from cotyledon; bulbose; lobe tip straight; deflexed and parallel to cotyledon width; centered between cotyledons; less than 1/2 length of cotyledons. Plumule rudimentary; glabrous.