Aeschynomene americana L. var. americana

• Authority

  Rudd, Velva E. 1955. The American species of Aeschynomene. Contr. U. S. Natl. Herb. 32: 1-172.

• Family

  Fabaceae

• Scientific Name

  Aeschynomene americana L. var. americana

• Type

  Type Locality: Jamaica, B. W. I. Type collected by Sloane.

• Description

  
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  Description - The typical variety is characterized by fruits which are glabrous or have only a slight tendency toward development of puberulence or glandular hairs on the surface or along the margins. The stipules are glabrous or nearly so. The bracts are cordate. The flowers commonly are 6-8 mm. long.

• Discussion

  There has been some confusion as to the characterization of the typical variety. Sloane's (The Natural History of Jamaica 1:186. 1707) description, which Linnaeus cited, does not state clearly if the fruits are glabrous or pubescent. It refers to "articulated pods, like to those of the precedent/' the "precedent" being Zornia diphylla (L.) Pers., with more or less hispid fruits. In the illustrative plate, the stem is shown to be hispid, but not the fruits. Willdenow (Sp. PI. 3:1163. 1802) described the fruits: "lomenti articulis subrotundis distinctis glabris." DeCandolle (Prodr. 2:320. 1825) stated: "leguminis glabri impunctati." I am indebted to Dr. A. C. Smith, who looked up the type specimen at the British Museum and reported the mature fruits to be glabrous. Millspaugh, interpreting the typical variety to be setose-hispid, proposed the variety depila of Aeschynomene americana, based on glabrous-fruited specimens from Yucatan. His variety must revert to synonymy under the present interpretation. Aeschynomene mexicana Biroli is tentatively placed in synonymy on the basis of its description, particularly "stipulis magnis sulcatis acuminatis denticulatis, foliolis . . . linearibus falcatis . . . , leguminum articulis 5-7 glabris tuberculatis inflatis . . ,." Aeschynomene tricholoma is not considered sufficiently distinct from Ae. americana var. americana to warrant specific delimitation. Its fruits are slightly larger than average, but almost identical collections have been made in Brazil. The slight development of marginal hairs suggests a tendency toward Ae, americana var. glandulosa. There is considerable variation in width of fruits, and there is intergradation throughout the range from the glabrous-fruited typical variety to the puberulent or hispid-fruited variety glandulosa. The bracts are uniformly cordate. The flowers commonly are less than 9 mm. long.

• Common Names

  antejuela, pega pega, ronté, honteuse femelle, cujicillo