Lophocarpinia Burkart, Darwiniana 11: 256. 1957.

Figs 36, 52

Type.

Lophocarpinia aculeatifolia (Burkart) Burkart [≡ Cenostigma aculeatifolium Burkart]

Description.

Shrubs, armed with scattered straight, conical, 2-5 mm long spines on shoots; leaves and inflorescences crowded on brachyblasts. Stipules acuminate, caducous. Leaves pinnate, leaflets in 2 (3) opposite pairs, eglandular, with a pair of small prickles at the insertions of the leaflets. Inflorescence a short, corymbiform, pubescent raceme, each with 3-6 flowers. Flowers zygomorphic, bisexual; hypanthium turbinate, fleshy, persistent at the apex of the pedicel as the fruit matures; sepals 5 caducous, 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. Fruit a lomentum, with 1-5 segments, falcate, with 4 coarsely serrate wings. Seeds ellipsoid to reniform, smooth.

Chromosome number.

Unknown.

Included species and geographic distribution.

Monospecific, restricted to Argentina and Paraguay (Fig. 52).

Ecology.

Chaco woodlands and seasonally dry tropical to subtropical forests.

Etymology.

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

Human uses.

Unknown.

Notes.

Lophocarpinia is closely related to the genus Haematoxylum but has a distinctive lomentaceous fruit with coarsely serrated wings.

Taxonomic references.

Burkart (1957); Gagnon et al. (2016); Lewis (2005b); Nores et al. (2012); Ulibarri (2008).