Subfamily: Faboideae.
Phylogenetic Number: 3.12.08.
Tribe: Psoraleeae.
Species Studied - Species in Genus: 15 studied; ca. 45 in genus.
Fruit: A legume; unilocular; 0.45–1.6 cm long (including beak); 0.25–0.5 cm wide; 0.25–0.3 cm thick; length less than twice as long as width to 2–9 times longer than wide; with deciduous androecial sheath; with persistent corolla, or deciduous corolla; with persistent calyx, or deciduous calyx; with calyx longer than fruit to equal in length to fruit to shorter than fruit; without orifice formed by curving of fruit or fruit segments; straight; not plicate; not twisted; asymmetrical, or symmetrical; circular, or oblong, or obovate; with both sutures parallelly curved; not inflated; compressed; with beak; straight; with solid beak the same color and texture as fruit (flat, 2 mm long beak); short tapered at apex to rounded at apex; right-angled with longitudinal axis of fruit; rounded at base; aligned with longitudinal axis of fruit; with the apex and base uniform in texture, or differing in texture; upper 1/2 inflated and reticulate over seed cavity and lower 1/2 adnate and wrinkled to scurfy over seed cavity (O. glandulosa (C. Linnaeus) J.W. Grimes); chartaceous; seed chambers externally invisible; margin not constricted; margin without sulcus; margin plain; wing(s) absent; nonstipitate; indehiscent. Replum invisible. Epicarp dull; monochrome; tan; with surface texture uniform; pubescent and indurate; with hairs erect; with 1 type of pubescence (gray), or 2 types of pubescence; pilose, or puberulent; with pubescence gray and brown, or brown (dark); with appressed dark brown hairs and scattered erect gray hairs intermixed; 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; not tuberculate; not exfoliating; with cracks; cracking transverse to fruit length; without embedded tissue, much thicker than epicarp, running from base to apex. Mesocarp absent. Endocarp present; visible; dull; opaque; monochrome; tan; without adhering pieces of testa; nonseptate; chartaceous; not exfoliating; remaining fused to epicarp; without wings; entire. Seed(s) 1; length parallel with fruit length. Funiculus less than 1 mm long; straight. Aril absent.
Seed: 3–6 mm long; 2–3 mm wide; 2 mm thick; not overgrown; not angular; asymmetrical; oblong; terete (to subterete); 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; partially adhering to endocarp (O. pubescens (J.L.M. Poiret) J.W. Grimes); free from endocarp; nearly glossy; not modified by a bloom; colored; monochrome, or mottled; with frequent mottles; tannish olive, or brown (reddish); with black overlay; glabrous; smooth, or not smooth; with elevated features; heavily wrinkled; coriaceous. Pleurogram absent. Pseudopleurogram absent. Fracture lines absent. Rim absent. Wing(s) absent. Raphe not visible. Hilum present; fully concealed; concealed by funicular remnant; with faboid split; with the lips of the faboid split the same color as the rest of the hilum; larger than punctiform; 0.5 mm long; with curved outline; circular; marginal according to radicle tip; flush; not within corona, halo, or rim. Lens not discernible. Endosperm present; thin; 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; split over radicle; with lobes; with the interface division terminating in radicle tissue; without margins recessed; yellow; inner face flat; glabrous on inner face. Embryonic axis deflexed; parallel 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; 1/2 to nearly length of cotyledons. Plumule rudimentary; glabrous.
The species count and distribution are based on Grimes (1990), who noted eight species in South America and about 35 species in the Old World. Stirton (1990) named two new species from southeastern Africa. The Old World species need to be revised. Stirton noted that the "morphology of the fruiting calyx and fruit of O. sericeum (J.L.M. Poiret) C.H. Stirton are quite different from that of the type species" (O. caffrum (C.F. Ecklon & C.L.P.Zeyher) C.H. Stirton).
Tribe Psoraleeae
Stirton (1981) illustrated seeds and fruits of Amorpheae and Psoraleeae. Since Isely (1962) monographed the tribe for north-central United States the spelling of the tribe name has changed as well as the genera recognized in the tribe. Amorpha (6.04), Dalea (6.08) and Petalostemon A. Michaux (now part of Dalea) are now in the Amphoreae (6), and species in the remaining genus, Psoralea (12.09), have been assigned to several genera treated here. Grimes (1990) noted that this tribe "has been described as having indehiscent fruits. However, in many North American species the fruit is secondarily dehiscent (that is, not along sutures) by transverse rupture of the pod." This technically is not dehiscence.
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
