Samanea

Taxonomy

Samanea (A.P. de Candolle) E.D. Merrill J. Wash. Acad. Sci. 6: 46. 1916.

Subfamily: Mimosoideae.
Phylogenetic Number: 2.5.05.
Tribe: Ingeae.
Species Studied - Species in Genus: 0 studied; 3 in genus.

Description

Fruit: A legumelegume:
usually dry, dehiscent fruit derived from a single carpel that opens along two longitudinal sutures
; unilocular; (7–)10–25 cm long (Barmeby and Grimes, 1996); 1.2–3.5 cm wide (Barmeby and Grimes, 1996); 0.6–2 cm thick (Barmeby and Grimes, 1996); 2–9 times longer than wide; 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; rounded at apex; aligned with longitudinal axis of fruit; rounded at base, or tapered at base; oblique with longitudinal axis of fruit; with the apex and base uniform in texture; leathery, or ligneous; seed chambers externally visible; seed chambers with the raised seed chambers not torulose; margin constricted, or not constricted; margin constricted along both margins; margin without sulcus; margin embellished; margin with thickened sutural areas; wing(s) absent; substipitate, or nonstipitate; with the stipe 3–4 mm long; indehiscent. Replum invisible. Epicarp dull, or glossy; monochrome; black to brown; with surface texture uniform; pubescent and indurate; with hairs erect; with 1 type of pubescence; densely puberulent; with pubescence black, or brown; pubescence denser near sutures, sparser centrally; with simple hairs (straight); pliable; with hair bases plain; eglandular; without spines; not smooth; with elevated features; not veined; not tuberculate; wrinkled; not exfoliating; without cracks; without embedded tissue, much thicker than epicarp, running from base to apex. Mesocarp present; thick (4–8 mm thick); surface not veined; 1-layered; without balsamic vesicles; without fibers; without reniform canals; fleshy; fleshy. Endocarp present; visible; glossy; opaque; monochrome; brown; smooth; without adhering pieces of testa; septate; with septa thicker than paper, firm; with septa eglandular; coriaceous to ligneous; not exfoliating; remaining fused to mesocarp and epicarp; without wings; entire. Seed(s) (10–)12–31; length parallel with fruit length; neither overlapping nor touching; in 1 series. Aril absent.

Seed: 6.5–12 mm long (Barneby and Grimes, 1996); 3.5–7.5 mm wide (Barneby and Grimes, 1996); 4–5 mm thick; not overgrown; not angular; symmetrical; elliptic, or oblong; compressed; with surface smooth; without visible radicle and cotyledon lobes; with shallow 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; monochrome; brown to black; glabrous; smooth; coriaceous. Pleurogram present (lighter in color than the rest of the testa); 95–100 %. Pseudopleurogram absent. Fracture lines present, or absent; reticulate. Rim absent. Wing(s) absent. Raphe not visible. Hilum present; fully concealed; concealed by funicular remnant; without faboid split (assumed); larger than punctiform; 0.4–0.5 mm long; with curved outline; circular; recessed; not within corona, halo, or rim. Lens discernible; 0.4–0.5 mm long; with margins curved; elliptic; not in groove of raphe; adjacent to hilum; ca. 0.1 mm from hilum; flush; dissimilar color from testa; lighter than testa; white; not within corona, halo, or rim. Endosperm absent. 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; partially concealing radicle; split over radicle; without lobes; with the interface division terminating at base of radicle; without margins recessed; brown, or 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; bulbose; lobe tip straight; straight with embryonic axis; centered between cotyledons; 1/2 to nearly length of cotyledons. Plumule well developed; glabrous.

Distribution

Central America, The West Indies, and tropical South America.

New World; West Indies, Central America, and South America; Peru, Brazil, Ecuador, and the Guianas.

Generic Notes

Barneby and Grimes (1996) monographed the genus, and their number of species and distrbution are used. Isely(1973) described fruits of S. saman (N.J. von Jacquin) E.D. Merrill as bearing "light line on each side of the black sutures." His is the third distinct use of "light line" in describing legumelegume:
usually dry, dehiscent fruit derived from a single carpel that opens along two longitudinal sutures
fruits and seeds.