Fissicalyx

Taxonomy

Fissicalyx G. Bentham J. Proc. Linn. Soc., Bot. 5: 79. 14 Nov 1860 ('1861').

Subfamily: Faboideae.
Phylogenetic Number: 3.4.07.
Tribe: Dalbergieae.
Group: Dalbergia.
Species Studied - Species in Genus: 1 studied; 1 in genus.

Description

Fruit: A legume; unilocular; 4–6 cm long; 2.5–7 cm wide; 0.4–0.8 cm thick; length less than twice as long as width; 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; symmetrical; oblong; not inflated; flattened; without beak; truncate 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; coriaceous; seed chambers externally visible; margin not constricted; margin without sulcus; margin embellished; margin with wing(s); wing(s) present; wing(s) 1; wing(s) 0.1–25 mm wide; wing(s) samaroid; wing(s) on both sutures; substipitate; indehiscent. Replum invisible. Epicarp dull; monochrome; tan (yellowish with darker seed chamber); with surface texture uniform; pubescent and indurate; with hairs erect; with 1 type of pubescence; puberulent; with pubescence golden; 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 to reticulately veined (transversely on wings and prominent midrib over seed chamber); not tuberculate; not exfoliating; without cracks; without embedded tissue, much thicker than epicarp, running from base to apex. Mesocarp present (around seed chamber); thin; surface not veined; 1-layered; without balsamic vesicles; without fibers; without reniform canals; solid; coriaceous. Endocarp present; visible; glossy; opaque; monochrome (with a few random reddish-brown "glands?"); tan; smooth; without adhering pieces of testa; nonseptate; chartaceous; not exfoliating; remaining fused to mesocarp and epicarp; with wing(s) extending into epicarp; entire. Seed(s) 1; length parallel with fruit length. Funiculus flattened; straight. Aril absent.

Seed: 15–25 mm long; 4.5–12 mm wide; 4 mm thick; not overgrown; angular; symmetrical; linear; terete (more or less); with surface smooth; with visible radicle and cotyledon lobes, or without 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, or streaked (occasionally with 1 streak on each face); with infrequent streaks; brown (reddish); with brown overlay (dark reddish); glabrous; not smooth; with elevated features; wrinkled (large and small); chartaceous. Pleurogram absent. Pseudopleurogram absent. Fracture lines absent. Rim absent. Wing(s) absent. Raphe visible; from hilum to near base of seed and terminating; not bifurcating; darker than testa; brown (reddish); raised (slightly). Hilum present; partially concealed; concealed by funicular remnant; without faboid split; larger than punctiform; 1.2 mm long; with curved outline; elliptic; subapical to radicle tip; flush; not within corona, halo, or rim. Lens not discernible. Endosperm absent. Cotyledons not 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; notched at radicle; without lobes, or with lobes; with lobes not touching; without basal groin formed by lobes; with the interface division terminating at base of radicle; without margins recessed; tan; inner face flat; glabrous on inner face. Embryonic axis straight; parallel to length of seed; without a joint evident between the radicle and the cotyledons. Radicle differentiated from cotyledon; linear; lobe tip straight; straight with embryonic axis, or oblique to cotyledons; centered between cotyledons; less than 1/2 length of cotyledons. Plumule moderately developed; glabrous.

Distribution

Panama, Venezuela, and Guyana.

New World; Central America (Panama), or South America (Venezuela, Guyana); Brazil and Ecuador.

Generic Notes

Seeds were difficult to obtain, Thus our data are based on limited material.

Tribal Notes

Tribe Dalbergieae

Lima (1989) analyzed the morphological characters of fruits, seeds and seedlings of the tribe and his characters and illustrations were used as a much appreciated source of accurate data. He also discussed the phylogeny of the tribe. Sousa and Sousa (1981) provided data to support their conclusion that the New World Lonchocarpinae be considered for tribal status: A segregate of the Dalbergieae. Hauman (1954) provided data on the Dalbergieae of Central Africa, and Lock (1989) listed the Dalbergieae for all of Africa. Thothathri (1986) reviewed the taxonomic status and systematic position of Asiatic Dalbergieae, and monographed tribe Dalbergieae for the Indian subcontinent (Thothathri, 1987). Morphological (Lima 1989) and molecular (Doyle et al. 1997) evidence has indicated that tribe Dalbergieae is polyphyletic.