genus descriptions: SSTAs

Antopetitia

A.Rich.
Description:
Spreading to erect, pubescent annuals. Leaves imparipinnate; petiole absent or very short; leaflets 5-11, alternate or subopposite, narrowly elliptic to linear-oblanceolate, rounded to acute at apex, cuneate at base; stipels absent or very short; stipules reduced to glands. Inflorescences axillary, pedunculate, 2-8-flowered umbels; bracts and bracteoles minute, caducous. Flowers small. Calyx pubescent; receptacle obconic; teeth subequal, narrowly triangular. Corolla glabrous; petals with claws +/- as long as blades. Stamens 10, diadelphous; vexillary one completely free; free parts of filaments flattened; anthers uniform. Ovary stipitate, glabrous, arising laterally on receptacle; ovules many; style very short, curved; stigma enlarged. Pod curved, made up of 2-5 spherical, 1-seeded articles, each of which splits into 2 valves; dorsal suture persistent. Seeds spherical, minutely warty; hilum circular, minute.
Distribution:
Monotypic genus: Antopetitia abyssinica A.Rich., trop. African mountains; sthn trop. Afr.: Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Mozambique.
Source:
SSTA

Mon, 2009-03-23 12:53 -- Emily Smith
Aphanocalyx

Oliv.
Description:
Shrubs or small to large trees. Leaves paripinnate, 1-57-jugate; rachis +/- terete, sometimes with a poorly developed (grooved) rib on upper side; leaflets opposite, distal half usually completely absent, resulting in distal margin being formed by the midrib, both halves (as far as present) with glands; stipules completely fused, with many closely spaced veins. Inflorescence a compound raceme, in most species reduced to a single raceme; bracts densely parallel-veined, glabrous inside; bracteoles fused with sepals, petals and stamens into a short hypanthium. Sepals up to 5, but some or all usually absent; adaxial sepals free to fused. Petals : adaxial petal fully developed; lateral and abaxial ones reduced and often absent. Stamens usually 10, all fertile; adaxial stamen free, 9 united at base; filaments filiform, glabrous; anthers small, broadly elliptic, often with small to large dorsal teeth, longitudinally dehiscent. Ovary on a short stipe, hairy; ovules 1-6; style insertion not hooked, angle 0-90deg. Pod compressed, dehiscing with 2 woody valves, lateral nerve usually distinct, running fairly high and sometimes fused to dorsal wings, dorsal suture sometimes distinctly winged. Seeds disc-shaped; testa thin.
Distribution:
Species 14, W and C Africa; sthn trop. Afr. 4, Angola, N Zambia.
Source:
SSTA
Synonym(s):
Monopetalanthus Harms in part: 195 (1897); Exell & Hillcoat: 203 (1956); White: 126 (1962); Brenan: 196 (1967); Lock: 16 (1989).

Mon, 2009-03-23 12:53 -- Emily Smith
Arachis

L.
Description:
Annual, erect or straggling herbs. Leaves paripinnately 4-foliolate; leaflets obovate or elliptic, mucronate at apex; stipules partly adnate to petiole, linear-lanceolate, very acute, ciliate, veined, persistent; stipels absent. Flowers axillary, apparently solitary and stalked; primary bracts ovate-lanceolate, biapiculate; secondary bracts similar but 2-fid; receptacle long and filiform, pedicel-like. Calyx membranous, filiform, 5-lobed: 4 upper lobes joined, lower one +/- free. Corolla yellow, usually with red nerves; standard rounded, shortly narrowed at base; wings free; keel beaked, incurved. Stamens 8 or 9, all joined; 4 or 5 anthers elongate and sub-basifixed, alternating with 4 or 5 short and versatile ones. Ovary subsessile, situated at base of receptacular tube, linear; ovules (1)2-4(-7); style filiform, very long, soon deciduous; stigma terminal, minute. Pod oblong or sausage-shaped, 1-6-seeded, somewhat constricted between seeds but not articulated, continuous inside, functionally indehiscent; walls thick and reticulate, developing below soil, having been pushed beneath by considerable lengthening, reflexing and stiffening of gynophore. Seeds irregularly ovoid or oblong; cotyledons thick and fleshy, rich in oil.
Distribution:
Species +/- 20, S America, 1: Arachis hypogaea L. the ground-nut, is widely cultivated throughout the tropics, and is occasionally found as an escape.
Source:
SSTA

Mon, 2009-03-23 12:53 -- Emily Smith
Baphiopsis

Benth. ex Baker
Description:
Unarmed evergreen trees or shrubs. Leaves alternate, unifoliolate; stipules very small and soon falling off; blade without pellucid dots. Flowers bisexual, in short racemes or almost fasciculate, each flower subtended by 2 small nervose caducous bracteoles. Calyx ellipsoid and entire before dehiscence, opening by a single slit and reflexing, or becoming divided into 2 or 3 lobes; no disc or cupular hypanthium. Petals 6, almost equal, imbricate, upper one with its margins overlapped. Stamens 13-41, arranged around base of ovary, free or almost so; anthers basifixed, dehiscing by longitudinal slits; connective not glandular. Ovary sessile or nearly so, 2-5-ovuled, tapering upwards into a subulate style which is bent in its upper part and bears a minute capitate stigma. Pods thick, beaked l(2)-seeded. Seeds large, thin-walled, apparently not arillate, without endosperm; embryo curved.
Distribution:
Monotypic genus: Baphiopsis parviflora Baker, trop. Africa; sthn trop. Afr: Angola.
Source:
SSTA

Mon, 2009-03-23 12:53 -- Emily Smith
Berlinia

Sol. ex Hook.f.
Description:
Unarmed trees. Leaves paripinnate; stipules intrapetiolar, connate into a scale (at least on mature shoots); leaflets opposite or subopposite, in (1)2-5 pairs, petiolulate, equal or +/- unequal-sided at base, with or without translucent dots. Flowers in racemes or panicles of racemes; bracteoles 2, well-developed, valvate, completely enclosing flower buds, persistent. Hypanthium tubular, 7-20 mm long. Sepals 5, subequal. Petals 5: upper one relatively very large and long-clawed, 4 others much reduced. Stamens 10; filaments exserted, 9 of them shortly connate at base, the other one free. Ovary shortly stipitate, arising on tube of hypanthium; ovules 2-8. Pod dehiscing elastically into 2 flattened woody valves which are obliquely transversely nerved when mature; upper suture narrowly winged on each side. Seeds compressed, +/- obovate-elliptic to elliptic or quadrate, with thin testa and short funicle.
Distribution:
Species 15, trop. Africa; sthn trop. 11, Angola, Zambia, Mozambique.
Source:
SSTA

Mon, 2009-03-23 12:53 -- Emily Smith
Brenaniodendron

J.Leonard
Description:
Unarmed evergreen trees. Leaves always paripinnate; leaflets 3-20, always opposite, with some gland-dots underneath. Inflorescence racemose. Flowers bisexual, spirally arranged along inflorescence axis; receptacle cupuliform, very short, much shorter than sepals; pedicels not jointed; bracteoles very small, not enclosing flower buds. Sepals 4, imbricate, +/- glabrous inside. Petals 5, subequal. Stamens 10; filaments free, equal, glabrous, 2-21/2-times as long as anthers; anthers narrowly elliptic, dehiscing by longitudinal slits. Ovary stipitate, pubescent near margins; stipe of ovary adnate to wall at bottom of receptacle; ovules 2 ; style elongate; stipe, ovary and style together clearly longer than stamens; stigma capitate. Pods flattened, woody, dehiscing elastically into 2 valves, with low wing-shaped ridges to both sides of ventral suture. Seeds large, compressed, with thin wall, exareolate.
Distribution:
Monotypic genus: Brenaniodendron carvalhoi (Harms) J.Leonard (= Cynometra carvalhoi Harms), Mozambique.
Source:
SSTA

Mon, 2009-03-23 12:53 -- Emily Smith
Bussea

Harms
Description:
Shrubs or more usually trees, unarmed and always with brown or rusty indumentum on young shoots and also inflorescences. Leaves usually opposite or subopposite, but varying sometimes to alternate, bipinnate; stipules small, subulate; specialized glands restricted to petiole and rhachis or absent; leaflets usually opposite, eglandular. Inflorescences of terminal panicles with flowers densely and racemosely arranged along branches; rarely and casually (in B. massaiensis) inflorescence reduced to a simple raceme; bracts small, falling as, or before flowers open. Flowers bisexual. Sepals 5, imbricate, inner ones with hyaline erose margins. Petals 5, upper one smaller than rest, all with rusty indumentum in middle and on claw. Stamens 10; filaments rusty-tomentose at base, eglandular; anthers dorsifixed, dehiscing by longitudinal slits. Ovary free, subsessile, densely brown-tomentose; ovules 2 or 3; style +/- clothed like ovary; stigma enlarged and peltate. Pods erect, linear-oblanceolate, +/- compressed, not winged, elastically dehiscing into 2 recurving woody valves each of which has a conspicuous longitudinal groove down middle. Seeds 1-3, longitudinal; funicle short; endosperm absent.
Distribution:
Sthn trop. Afr. 3, Angola, Zambia, Mozambique.
Source:
SSTA

Mon, 2009-03-23 12:53 -- Emily Smith
Calopogonium

Desv.
Description:
Herbaceous or woody climbers or trailers. Leaves pinnately 3-foliolate; stipels present. Flowers blue or violet, small, in fascicles arranged in short to long axillary nodose pseudoracemes, or in axillary subsessile fascicles; bracts and bracteoles small, deciduous. Calyx campanulate or shortly tubular, 5-lobed, upper pair free or +/- connate to form a 2-toothed lip. Petals : standard obovate, auriculate at base, auricles inflexed; wings narrow, adhering to obtuse keel. Stamens : vexillary stamen free; anthers mostly 8 or 9, all similar. Ovary sessile, many-ovuled; style filiform or subulate, usually +/- incurved, glabrous or pubescent; stigma terminal, capitate. Pods linear or linear-oblong, +/- compressed, 2-valved, dehiscent, mostly septate between seeds, outer surface transversely furrowed, giving the appearance that pod might break into segments. Seeds compressed-globose or oblong.
Distribution:
Species 6-8, confined to the warmer parts of America; 1 species: *Calopogonium mucunoides Desv., now widely cultivated as a cover crop and often found as an escape in the Old World tropics; in sthn trop. Afr. reported as an escape in Malawi.
Source:
SSTA

Mon, 2009-03-23 12:53 -- Emily Smith
Calpocalyx

Harms
Description:
Shrubs or small trees; trunk much branched; branchlets glabrous. Leaves bipinnate, consisting of a single pair of pinnae each bearing 3-7 pairs of opposite leaflets with basal leaflet often single; leaflets elliptic-oblanceolate with asymmetric base. Inflorescences with flowers crowded in dense, narrowly cylindric spikes on long peduncles arranged in ample terminal, or sometimes axillary panicles. Flowers bisexual or unisexual by abortion. Calyx campanulate, 5-lobed. Petals 5, cohering in lower half. Stamens 10; filaments filiform, arising at base of petals, free or slightly coherent at base; anther connective ending in a caducous gland. Ovary +/- stipitate, oblong, pubescent, arising in bottom of receptacle; ovules 4 or 5; style slender, ending in a tapering stigma. Pod dehiscing with 2 glabrous, triangular, woody valves.
Distribution:
Species 11, tropical W Africa; sthn trop. Afr. 1: Calpocalyx dinklagei Harms (= C. crawfordianus Mendes), Angola.
Source:
SSTA

Mon, 2009-03-23 12:53 -- Emily Smith
Camoensia

Welw. ex Benth.
Description:
Climbing shrubs or lianes. Leaves digitately trifoliolate; leaflets petiolulate, often stipellate. Inflorescences axillary racemes; bracts and bracteoles short, caducous. Flowers showy, articulated below pedicel. Calyx turbinate; lobes 5, deltoid or lanceolate, upper 2 +/- connate. Petals all free; vexillum orbicular; wings and carina ovate. Stamens 10 or 11; filaments fused at least towards base into a tube with free portions recurved in bud; anthers uniform, linear, dorsifixed. Ovary sericeous, stipitate; stipe laterally fused to receptacle in lower part; ovules many; style filiform, involute in bud; stigma terminal, capitate, small. Pod broadly linear to oblong, flattened, few-seeded, coriaceous, dehiscent into 2 valves; base of style persistent. Seeds +/- rhombic, flattened.
Distribution:
Species 2, tropical W African coast; sthn trop. Afr. 2, Angola.
Source:
SSTA

Mon, 2009-03-23 12:53 -- Emily Smith

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