Vataireopsis

Taxonomy

Vataireopsis W.A. Ducke Notizbl. Bot. Gart. Berlin-Dahlem 11: 473. 11 Jul 1932.

Subfamily: Faboideae.
Phylogenetic Number: 3.4.01.
Tribe: Dalbergieae.
Group: Andira.
Species Studied - Species in Genus: 3 studied; 4 in genus.

Description

Fruit: A legumelegume:
usually dry, dehiscent fruit derived from a single carpel that opens along two longitudinal sutures
; unilocular; 8–12 cm long; 2–3 cm wide; 0.5–0.6 cm thick (in our fruits the lateral wing was folded in to fruit body and was not included in width measurement); 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; asymmetrical; samaroid; with both sutures unequally curved; not inflated; seed chamber compressed to flattened (wing); without beak; rounded at apex and emarginate at apex; aligned with longitudinal axis of fruit; short tapered 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) 3 (1 major apical wing and 2 smaller lateral wings folded into seed chamber); wing(s) 17–30 mm wide (major samoid wing), or 4–10 mm wide (minor, valvular wings); wing(s) major samaroid and valvular (minor); wing(s) apical; wing(s) on both valves (minor wings); wing(s) on 1 suture; substipitate, or nonstipitate; indehiscent. Replum invisible. Epicarp dull; monochrome, or multicolored; mottled; brown (greenish to reddish); mottling color combination constant; with surface texture uniform; glabrous, or pubescent and indurate; with hairs erect; with 1 type of pubescence; puberulent; with pubescence golden; with pubescence uniformly distributed; with simple hairs; pliable; eglandular; without spines; not smooth; with elevated features; veined; reticulately veined; not tuberculate; not exfoliating; without cracks; without embedded tissue, much thicker than epicarp, running from base to apex. Mesocarp present; thin; surface not veined; 1-layered; without balsamic vesicles; without fibers; without reniform canals; solid; coriaceous. Endocarp present; visible; dull; opaque; mottled; tan; with mottling more or less uniform (dark); with brown overlay (reddish-brown); 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 oblique to fruit length. Funiculus straight. Aril absent.

Seed: 20–25 mm long0.8–1 mm wide; 2.5–3 mm thick; not overgrown; not angular; asymmetrical; oblong, or reniform; compressed; with surface smooth; with 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; glossy (more or less); not modified by a bloom; colored; monochrome; brown (reddish); glabrous; smooth; coriaceous. 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 (dark reddish); recessed. Hilum present; partially concealed; concealed by funicular remnant, or wing; with faboid split; with the lips of the faboid split the same color as the rest of the hilum; larger than punctiform; 0.9 mm long; with curved outline; oval; between cotyledon and radicle lobe; recessed; not within corona, halo, or rim. Lens not discernible. Endosperm present. 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 deflexed; oblique to length of seed; without a joint evident between the radicle and the cotyledons. Radicle differentiated from cotyledon; bulbose; lobe tip curved (slightly); deflexed and parallel to cotyledon width; centered between cotyledons; less than 1/2 length of cotyledons. Plumule rudimentary; glabrous.

Distribution

Brazil and Surinam.

New World; South America (Surinam and Brazil); Brazil and Ecuador.

Generic Notes

The species counts are derived from Polhill (1981d), who also provided fruit and seed illustrations. Lima (1980) monographed the genus and recognized four species, but Polhill (1981d) recognized three species and noted that "in time this may be amalgamated with Vatairea, the supplementary lateral wings on this seed-chamber (figure 3/9), visible from ovary stage, (figure 3/9), being the only significant difference, and a small ridge or thickening is apparent even in species of Vatairea" (4.02). Whether maintaining or combining the two genera, one should remember that the testa remains with the embryo in Vataireopsis and is fused with the endocarp in Vatairea.

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.