Entada polyphylla Benth., J. Bot. (Hooker) 2: 133. 1840.

O'Donnell, Shawn A., Ringelberg, Jens J. & Lewis, Gwilym P., 2022, Re-circumscription of the mimosoid genus Entada including new combinations for all species of the phylogenetically nested Elephantorrhiza (Leguminosae, Caesalpinioideae, mimosoid clade), PhytoKeys 205, pp. 99-145 : 99

Entada polyphylla Benth., J. Bot. (Hooker) 2: 133. 1840.

= Entada paranaguana Barb. Rodr., Vellosia, ed. 2, 1: 18. 1891.

= Entada polystachya var. polyphylla (Benth.) Barneby, Brittonia 48: 175. 1996.

Type.

GUYANA. Rio Quitaro , R.H. Schomburgk 604 (holotype: K [K000504673, K000504674]; isotypes: E [E00296969], F [F0092593F], NY [NY00002025], US [ US 00001028]) .

Description.

Shrub, scandent, to 10 m. Leaves: rachis 7-13 cm long, puberulous, tendrils lacking; pinnae 4-7 pairs per leaf, 5-7 cm long, with (12-)13-20 pairs of leaflets; leaflets 8-20 × 3-8 mm, oblong, apex rounded to emarginate, base truncate to subtruncate, lamina pubescent above and below (Fig. 2G ). Inflorescence: a compound, terminal, one-sided panicle of up-turned spikes, each spike 4-6.5 cm long, rachis pubescent (Fig. 2G ). Flowers: cream to greenish-yellow, staminate or bisexual, sub-sessile; calyx cupular, 0.5-1 mm long, glabrous to sparsely puberulous; petals 2.5-3 × 0.8-1 mm; stamen filaments 3-4 mm long. Fruit: a torulose, laterally compressed craspedium, 20-30 × 6 cm, with transverse septa between seeds dividing the fruit into one-seeded segments which, upon ripening, fall from the persistent replum. Seeds: 1.9-2.4 × 1-1.2 cm, with pleurogram.

Distribution.

Amazonian Brazil, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela, the Guianas, Puerto Rico.

Habitat and ecology.

Disturbed forest, grassy fields, secondary vegetation at forest margins.

Figures

Figure 2. Genus-wide variation in morphological characters. A-D habit A large woody liana, E. rheedei (photo: B Wursten, Hyde et al. (2021)) B small tree, E. abyssinica (photo: G Baumann, Dressler et al. (2014 a)) C shrub, E. burkei (photo: M Schmidt, Dressler et al. (2014 a, b )) D geoxylic suffrutex, E. dolichorrhachis (photo: M Bingham, Bingham et al. (2021)) E, F leaves E bipinnate leaf with few pinnae, few large leaflets and ending in a bifurcating tendril, E. rheedei (photo: AP Balan, Balan and Predeep (2021)) F bipinnate leaf with many pinnae, many small leaflets and no tendril, E. rangei (photo: A Dreyer, Dressler et al. (2014 a)) G-I inflorescences G terminal panicle of up-turned spikes, E. polyphylla (photo: R Vasquez Martinez, CC BY-NC-SA 3.0, MBG (2021)) H axillary fascicles of spiciform racemes, E. goetzei (photo: G Baumann, Dressler et al. (2014 a)) I short spiciform raceme of dark red flowers, E. wahlbergii (photo: R Mangelsdorff, Dressler et al. (2014 a)) J-M fruits J immature, weakly falcate, segmented craspedium up to 2 m long, E. rheedei (photo: photographer unknown, Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research (CANBR), 2000) K immature, segmented, laxly spiralled craspedium up to 120 cm long, E. gigas (photo: R Aguilar CC BY-NC-SA 2.0, Aguilar (2021)) L ripe segmented craspedia breaking up into one-seeded segments with exfoliating epicarp, E. africana (photo: B Eichhorn, Dressler et al. (2014 a)) M ripe unsegmented craspedium, the entire valve breaking away from the persistent replum, E. burkei (photo: M Kriek CC BY-SA 4.0, Ueda (2021) observation 85675968) N, O seeds N one-seeded endocarp segment and small ovoid, flattened seed with elliptic pleurogram, E. africana (photo: B Eichhorn, Dressler et al. (2014 a)) O ripe one-seeded fruit segments with large circular, laterally compressed seeds lacking a pleurogram, E. gigas (photo: J Stevens, Dressler et al. (2014 a)). Scale bars: 1 cm (N, O).