Chamaecrista calycioides (Collad.) Greene
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Authors
Howard S. Irwin, Rupert C. Barneby
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Authority
Irwin, Howard S. & Barneby, Rupert C. 1982. The American Cassiinae. A synoptical revision of Leguminosae tribe Cassieae subtrib Cassiinae in the New World. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 35, part 2: 455-918.
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Family
Caesalpiniaceae
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Scientific Name
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Type
Cassia calycioides DeCandolle ex Colladon, Hist. Casses 125, t. 20, fig. B. 1816.—Typus infra sub var. calycioide indicatur.
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Synonyms
Cassia calycioides DC. ex Collad.
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Description
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Species Description - Precociously flowering perennial herbs from dark brown or blackish, at length fusiformly thickened roots, the simple or few-branched stems diffusely or humifusely radiating from the root-crown or the divisions of a short suffrutescent caudex, at anthesis 1-9 dm, commonly puberulent with short incurved and pilose with fine, widely divergent or incurved-ascending setae up to 1-3 mm, but the setae sometimes and the shorter vesture seldom, both rarely, lacking, the dull olivaceous concolorous lfts glabrous above or on both faces or less often puberulent throughout, the margins ciliolate, the stems, blades of stipules and sepals (between the close-set venation), petals (especially toward the claw) and valves of pod speckled with minute vertical violet lineoles. Stipules erect, broadly lance- to ovate-acuminate, (1.5-)2-7.5 x 0.7-2 mm, at subsymmetric base rounded or when broader incipiently cordate, prominently 7-11-nerved, persistent. Adult lvs mostly 1-4, rarely 3.5-6 cm, the expanded blade ovate to lanceolate, short-petiolate; petiole 2-4.5 mm, at middle 0.25-0.7 mm diam, coarsely wing- margined; petiolar glands l(-3) stipitate, urn- or almost disc-shaped 0.15-0.9 mm diam, the stipe varying from filiform to stout, the whole in profile pin- or tackshaped, 0.25-1.3 mm tall and varying from a little shorter to much taller than diameter of head; lfts of adult lvs (4—)5—12 pairs, the lowest and uppermost smaller, in outline linear to narrowly oblong-elliptic, sharply obliquely aristulate, at base cordate on proximal side, the larger up to 5-13 x 0.7-2.3 mm, straight or subfalcate, the firmly membranous blades beneath prominently, above faintly venose, from base (4-)5-6-nerved, the midrib displaced to divide the blade 1:3-6 accompanied on narrow (x0.1-0.4 mm) side by 1 parallel submarginal nerve and on the broad side by 1 adjacent produced almost or quite to apex and commonly anastomosing into the mucro, a second nearly as strong but not reaching apex, with 1-2 exterior and shorter, the stronger nerves weakly forking distally. Peduncles exactly axillary, 0—1(—3.5) mm, commonly 10-, rarely l-2(-3)-fld; pedicels at anthesis obsolete up to 1(—2.5) cm, in fruit thickened, 0.5-12(-28) mm, bracteolate 1—3(—12) mm below calyx; bracteoles resembling smaller stipules, lanceolate or ovate, 1-3 mm; buds lance-acuminate in outline; sepals narrowly lance-acuminate, mostly 5—11(—12.5), in one rare var. only 2.6-3.1 mm, externally puberulent or rarely glabrate; petals yellow fading orange, 4 subhomomorphic varying from spatulate and narrowed to a slender claw to obovate-cuneate, mostly 5-14, rarely 2.4—3 mm, the cucullus as long or a trifle shorter, usually obliquely reniform-obovate; stamens 3-10; ovary usually densely, sometimes thinly strigose-pilose; style (0.5—) 1—5 mm, linear or when short somewhat dilated at apex; ovules 2-14. Pod commonly linear, rarely shortened and oblong (cf. key to vars.), the pale- green or sometimes purple-tinged, violet-dotted valves usually weakly long-pilose, rarely only puberulent or glabrous; seeds (poorly known) ±2.4—3.1 mm, the testa dull ochraceous marked along distal keel by a fuscous transverse line, mucilaginous when wetted.
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Discussion
Chamaecrista calycioides consists of several geographically disjunct races, but only one of these is thought to deserve taxonomic status. Discussion of minor internal variation follows description of var. calycioides.