Pithecellobium bipinnatum

Macrophyllidious trees attaining 8 m, armed at nodes with small ascending spinescent stipules, the young stems and inflorescence glabrous or almost so, the lfts glabrous except for a tuft of hairs in posterior basal angle of midrib on dorsal face, the short spikes of fragrant white fls fasciculate in axils of contemporary lvs. Stipules straight, to 3 mm. Lf-formula ii/3—4; lf-stks ±4.5-5.5 cm, the petiole and one interpinnal segment subequilong; nectary between each pinna-pair described as "cone-shaped" but illustrated as shortly stipitate cupular [perhaps ice-cream-coneshaped was meant] ±1 mm diam; rachis of distal pinnae ±10.5 cm, the longer interfoliolar segments ±14 mm; lft-pulvinules <1 mm; lfts a little accrescent distally, alternate at base of pinna, the blades elliptic or ovate-elliptic from slightly inequilateral base, the largest ±34 x 20 mm, the subcentric midrib pinnately 5-7-nerved on each side, the venation prominulous on both faces. Units of inflorescence loosely spici- form, sessile or almost so, the axis 3-4 cm; bracts ±0.5 mm, persistent; calyx [described as "cylindric," illustrated as campanulate] ±1.2 mm; corolla yellow, ±7.5 mm; androecium 30-40-merous, ±23 mm, the tube 11-12 mm; ovary nearly sessile, glabrescent; intrastaminal nectary 0. Fruit unknown.

In riparian woodland at 10 m, known only from the type-locality in far NW Costa Riva (Guanacaste). — Not mapped. — Fl. I—II.

The epithet bipinnatum is a lame choice for an American mimosoid, of which more than 99% are characterized by bipinnate leaves. The word bipinna- tus has, among botanists, the connotation of twice- pinnate, but could be interpreted also as composed of two pinnae. Here, however, the meaning is distorted into a superfluous synonym of bijugate.