Rhynchosia melanocarpa Grear

Authority

Grear, John W. 1978. A revision of the New World species of Rhynchosia (Leguminosae-Faboideae). Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 31 (1): 1-168.

Family

Fabaceae

Scientific Name

Rhynchosia melanocarpa Grear

Description

Species Description - Twining or scrambling vine to 7 m, herbaceous or suffrutescent, the stems one to several from woody base, simple or few-branched, young stems angular, becoming terete and then flattened, villous or villosulose, hairs silvery or yellowish, becoming glabrate on older stems. Stipules lanceolate-ovate, acuminate, caducous, 4-5 mm long, 1-2 mm wide. Petioles stout, villous or villosulose, 2-12(-13) cm. Leaflets 3, thin-coriaceous, ovate to rhombate or obovate to deltoid, acute or acuminate, often obtuse, base obtuse, subcordate or rounded to truncate, 2.5-18 cm long, 1.5-15 cm wide, densely to sparsely villosulose above, often glabrate, gland-dotted and silvery villous beneath, terminal petiolule 1-5 cm, the laterals 2-5 mm, stipels long, linear, villosulose, persistent, 2-6 mm. Inflorescences elongate, equal to or exceeding the leaves, 10-32 cm, branching, flowers lax, peduncle 1.5-6 cm, pedicels 2-3 mm. Bracts narrowly lanceolate to ovate, long-acuminate, caducous, 2-5 mm long, 0.5-1.5 mm wide. Calyx not exceeding the corolla, villosulose, 5.5-6 mm, tube 2-2.5 mm, lobes lanceolate, attenuate, 2-4.5 mm, vexillar sinus 1-2 mm. Corolla yellow-green, with reddish or brown veins, 7-10 mm. Standard obovate to orbicular, apiculate, gland-dotted and villosulose, 7-10 mm long, 6-8 mm wide, auricles 1 mm, claw 2 mm. Wings oblong, gland-dotted and puberulous, 7-10 mm long, 1.5-3 mm wide, claw 2-2.5 mm. Keel blades falcate, gland-dotted, puberulous, 7-10 mm long, 2.5-4 mm wide, claw 2-3 mm. Stamens 7-10 mm. Fruit oblong-ovate, plump, deeply constricted, densely puberulous or glabrous, becoming black and shiny with age, 13-25 mm long, 6-10 mm wide, beak 1-2 mm. Seeds subglobose, bicolored black and red, the red confined to hilar area, plump, 5-7 mm long, 4-5 mm wide, hilum ovate, 2-3 mm, strophiole lobes linear.

Discussion

Rhynchosia phaseoloides var erecta M. Micheli, Mem. Soc. Genève 28: 32. 1883. Type. PARAGUAY. Ibitimi, Balansa 1852, 8 Sep 1874 (isotype, P!). Local Names, cipó correia (Argentina); feijäo do matto, favinha brava, olho de cabra, olho de pombo, timbo, tingui (Brazil: São Paulo); huayruru (Peru: Pasco); huayruro huasea (Peru: Huánuco); Mulungu (Peru); peronillo (Colombia); peonillo chiquito (Venezuela: Anzoátegui). This species is most like R. erythrinoides and R. pyramidalis as to fruit characters-black, shiny pods deeply constricted between the seeds at maturity. However, the long, linear, persistent stipels are unique to R. melanocarpa. It has been mistakenly identified as either R. phaseoloides or R. pyramidalis in the past, as have most other members of this series. In changing the rank of this taxon from variety to species, the varietal epithet (erecta) used by Micheli must be discarded. Not only would the name R. erecta be misleading for a twining species but it is an earlier synonym for R. tomentosa.

Distribution

Distribution. South America (Fig. 9). Occurring in forests and thickets, along streams, on slopes and in secondary forests and in disturbed areas; at elevations of 200-1500 m.

South America|