Lophocarpinia Burkart, Darwiniana 11: 256. 1957

Gagnon, Edeline, Bruneau, Anne, Hughes, Colin E., de Queiroz, Luciano Paganucci & Lewis, Gwilym P., 2016, A new generic system for the pantropical Caesalpinia group (Leguminosae), PhytoKeys 71, pp. 1-160 : 23-24

2. Lophocarpinia Burkart, Darwiniana 11: 256. 1957 Figs 5H-I , 6

Type.

Lophocarpinia aculeatifolia (Burkart) Burkart ≡ Cenostigma aculeatifolium Burkart.

Description.

Shrub 0.5 (- 3) m tall, armed with scattered straight, conical, 2-5 mm long spines on shoots; leaves and inflorescences crowded on brachyblasts; shoots glabrous, reddish, the lateral ones sometimes, spinescent. Stipules acuminate, caducous. Leaves alternate, paripinnate, 5-10 mm long; leaflets in 2 (- 3) pairs, obovate or elliptic-orbicular, 4-7 × 2-2.4 mm, finely pubescent, eglandular, with a pair of small prickles at the insertions of the leaflets. Inflorescences short, corymbiform, pubescent racemes, each with 3-6 bisexual flowers; bracts small, caducous. Flowers zygomorphic, 1-1.5 cm long; calyx with a turbinate, fleshy hypanthium, and 5 oblong, pubescent, caducous sepals, lower sepal cucullate and covering the other 4 sepals in bud, embracing the androecium and gynoecium at anthesis; petals 5, yellow to yellow-orange, free, the median petal differentiated from the rest by a fleshy claw and wavy blade margins, pubescent; stamens 10, free, filaments pubescent; ovary glabrous; stigma apical, concave. Fruit a lomentum, with 1-5 segments, falcate, with 4 coarsely serrate wings. Seeds ellipsoid to reniform, smooth.

Geographic distribution.

A monospecific genus restricted to Argentina and Paraguay (possibly also occurring in Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil, pers. comm. H. C. de Lima).

Habitat.

Chaco woodland and seasonally dry tropical to subtropical forest.

Etymology.

From lopho - (Greek: combed or crested) and carpos (Greek: fruit), the fruit has 4 crested wings, the ending -inia signifies a close relationship with Caesalpinia .

References.

Burkart (1957); Ulibarri (2008); Nores et al. (2012).

Figures

Figure 5. Hererolandia pearsonii (L. Bolus) E. Gagnon & G. P. Lewis. A shrubby habit B inflorescence C branch showing prickles and leaves D fruits (A. A. Dreyer, Sesriem Canyon, Namibia, unvouchered). Haematoxylum brasiletto H. Karst. E mature fruit dehiscing along the mid-valve (C. E. Hughes, Mexico, unvouchered) F inflorescences and leaves (G. P. Lewis, Mexico, Lewis 2057 (K )) G distinctively fluted trunks (C. E. Hughes, Oaxaca, Mexico, Hughes 1947 (FHO )) Lophocarpinia aculeatifolia (Burkart) Burkart H shrub with flowers, armed with straight conical spines I fruits (R. H. Fortunato, Paraguay, Fortunato 8650 (BAB )).

Figure 6. Lophocarpinia aculeatifolia (Burkart) Burkart. A habit B flowering and fruiting branch C detail of leaf attachment D, E median petal front and side views F upper lateral petal G lower lateral petal H stamen I gynoecium J stigma K fruit longitudinal section L fruit cross section. A, B from Burkart 20216 C, K, L after illustration by Burkart D-J from Burkart 20218. Drawn by Christi A. Sobel.