Polystemonanthus

Taxonomy

Polystemonanthus H.A.T. Harms In Engler et Prantl, Nat. Pflanzenfam. Nachtr. 1: 197. Oct 1897.

Subfamily: Caesalpinioideae.
Phylogenetic Number: 1.4.67.
Tribe: Detarieae.
Group: Berlinia.
Species Studied - Species in Genus: 0 studied; 1 in genus.

Description

Fruit: A legumelegume:
usually dry, dehiscent fruit derived from a single carpel that opens along two longitudinal sutures
; unilocular; 12–16 cm long; ca. 3 cm wide; 2–9 times longer than wide; with persistent androecial sheath, or deciduous androecial sheath; with deciduous corolla; with persistent calyx; with calyx shorter than fruit; without orifice formed by curving of fruit or fruit segments; curved; not plicate; not twisted; asymmetrical; falcate; with both sutures parallelly curved; not inflated; flattened; with beak; straight; with solid beak the same color and texture as fruit; tapered at apex; aligned with longitudinal axis of fruit, or oblique with longitudinal axis of fruit (slightly); short tapered at base; oblique with longitudinal axis of fruit; with the apex and base uniform in texture; ligneous; seed chambers externally invisible; margin not constricted; margin without sulcus; margin embellished; margin with thickened sutural areas; wing(s) absent; stipitate; with the stipe 5–10 mm long; indehiscent. Replum invisible. Epicarp dull; monochrome; with surface texture uniform; eglandular; without spines; not smooth; with elevated features; not veined; not tuberculate; striate; not exfoliating; without cracks; without embedded tissue, much thicker than epicarp, running from base to apex.

Seed: 23–28 mm long; 18–20 mm wide; not overgrown; not angular; symmetrical; elliptic; 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; dull; not modified by a bloom; colored; monochrome; glabrous; not smooth; with elevated features; transversely ridged. Pleurogram absent. Pseudopleurogram absent. Fracture lines absent. Rim absent. Wing(s) absent. Raphe not visible. Hilum present; visible; larger than punctiform; 1.5–2 mm long; with curved outline; circular; raised. Lens not discernible.

Distribution

Liberia and Ivory Coast.

Old World; Africa (Liberia and Ivory Coast).

Generic Notes

Fruit data were collected from photocopies of herbarium specimens (A.G. Voorhoeve 68 and Service de la Côte d'Ivoire 2812), and the seed data from a photograph of two seeds.

Tribal Notes

Tribe Detarieae

Bruneau et al. (2000) carried out extensive phylogenetic analyses of tribes Amherstieae and Detarieae. They concluded that they form a single monophyletic group. Therefore, they supported Polhill's (1995a, 1995b) decision to unite the two tribes.