Abarema

Taxonomy

Abarema H.F. Pittier Arb. Arbust. Orden Legum. 56. Dec 1927.

Subfamily: Mimosoideae.
Phylogenetic Number: 2.5.02.
Tribe: Ingeae.
Species Studied - Species in Genus: 8 studied; 45 in genus.

Description

Fruit: A legume; unilocular; 5–15 cm long; 0.4–2 cm wide; 0.5–1 cm thick; 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; curved to 0.5-coiled to 1-coiled (or more); not plicate; twisted, or not twisted; symmetrical, or asymmetrical; oblong, or C-shaped, or falcate, or irregular; with both sutures parallelly curved, or both sutures unequally curved; not inflated; compressed to terete, or flattened; without beak; rounded at apex to short tapered at apex; oblique with longitudinal axis of fruit, or aligned with longitudinal axis of fruit; short tapered at base to rounded at base, or long tapered at base; oblique with longitudinal axis of fruit, or aligned with longitudinal axis of fruit; with the apex and base uniform in texture; stiffly chartaceous to leathery, or ligneous, or coriaceous; seed chambers externally visible; margin constricted to not constricted; margin ventrally constricted on 1 margin and slightly constricted on the other margin, or slightly constricted along both margins; margin without sulcus; margin plain; wing(s) absent; nonstipitate, or substipitate (Klugiodenedron), or stipitate (Punjuba); with the stipe 5 mm long; with all layers dehiscing; splitting along suture(s). Dehiscence of valves along both sutures, or 1 suture (Punjuba, ventrally bearing 2 distinct lips absent along dorsal margin); apical and down, or medial and up and down; active, or passive; with valves reflexing (along ventral margin, eventually becoming flat in Punjuba), or twisting (eventually, separately or together, remaining attached to sutures). Replum invisible. Epicarp dull; monochrome; brown (to blackish brown or reddish to grayish brown or tannish brown); with surface texture uniform; pubescent and indurate to glabrous; with hairs erect; with simple hairs; eglandular; without spines; smooth, or not smooth; with elevated features; often coarsely veined, or not veined (punjuba); reticulately veined, or transversely veined relative to fruit length (Klugiodenedron); not tuberculate; shagreen, or papillose; not exfoliating; without cracks; without embedded tissue, much thicker than epicarp, running from base to apex. Mesocarp present, or absent (Punjuba); surface not veined; 1-layered; without balsamic vesicles; without reniform canals; fibrous throughout; ligneous. Endocarp present; visible; dull, or glossy (vitreous when young in Punjuba and becoming dull with age); opaque; monochrome, or mottled; reddish brown to brown, or black (reddish), or gray, or red, or orange, or tan, or purple (becoming reddish brown); with mottling over seed chambers; with red overlay, or white overlay, or brown overlay; smooth; without adhering pieces of testa; septate to subseptate to nonseptate; not exfoliating; remaining fused to mesocarp and epicarp; entire. Seed(s) 3–15; length transverse to fruit length, or oblique to fruit length (Punjuba); neither overlapping nor touching; in 1 series. Funiculus 5–7 mm long; of 1 length only, or 2 different lengths; thick, or filiform (Punjuba); plicate to contorted, or hooked. Aril absent.

Seed: 5.7–10 mm long>; 5–7.3 mm wide; 2–6 mm thick; not overgrown; not angular; symmetrical; circular to elliptic, or ovate to oblong; sub terete, or compressed (Punjuba and Klugiodenedron); 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; glossy, or dull; not modified by a bloom; colored, or clear; monochrome; brown to blue, or white, or green (whitish, green caused by green cotyledons below translucent white testa); glabrous; smooth to not smooth; with elevated features; rugose; coriaceous to osseous, or chartaceous (Punjuba and Klugiodenedron). Pleurogram present, or absent; 90 %. Pseudopleurogram absent. Fracture lines present (when pleurogram present), or absent. Rim absent. Wing(s) absent. Raphe not visible. Hilum present; visible; without faboid split; punctiform, or larger than punctiform (Punjuba); up to 0.7 mm long; with curved outline, or angular outline; elliptic; triangular; subapical to radicle tip; flush; not within corona, halo, or rim. Lens not discernible. Endosperm absent, or present (in A. jupunba (C.L. Willdenow) N.L. Britton & E.P. Killip var. trapezifolia (J.L.M. Vahl) R.C. Barneby & J.W. Grimes); thin; not pluglike and not resembling tip of radicle; adnate to testa. Cotyledons smooth; both outer faces flat; both the same thickness; both more or less of equal length; not folded; margin entire 180 degrees from base of radicle; similar at apex; completely concealing radicle; split over radicle; with the interface division terminating at base of radicle; without margins recessed; blue green, or green and tan (on intercotyledon faces adjacent to radicle for seeds with whitish testa), or green (whitish, Klugiodenedron); 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; straight with embryonic axis; centered between cotyledons. Plumule well developed; glabrous.

Distribution

Central and South America, And extending to the Bahamas.

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

Generic Notes

Based on only 8 of 45 species, Abarema is heterogeneous from a seed topography standpoint and homogeneous from a fruit topography standpoint. More seeds and fruits should be collected and studied. Abarema spp. may be curated with Pithecellobium (2.5.11). Polhill (1994b) and Barneby and Grimes (1996)Barneby and Grimes (1996):
Albizia, and allies. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 74(1): 1&-292. synonymized Punjuba N.L. Britton & J.N. Rose and Klugiodendron N.L. Britton & J.N. Rose under Abarema.