Chamaecrista nictitans (Linnaeus 1753: 380) Moench (1794: 272)

Gomes, Aureliana Santos, Rodrigues, Erimágna De Morais, Moura, Débora Coelho, Melo, José Iranildo Miranda De, Ribeiro, Rayane De Tasso Moreira & Queiroz, Rubens Teixeira De, 2022, Fabaceae Lindl. in a Conservation Unit in the Semi-Arid Region of Paraíba, Brazil, Phytotaxa 555 (1), pp. 17-41 : 27

10. Chamaecrista nictitans (Linnaeus 1753: 380) Moench (1794: 272) . ( Fig. 4a )

Subshrubs, branches pilose, inermous. Nectary petiolar, sessile. Stipules lateral, narrow-triangular. Leaves paripinnate, 30–32–foliolate, leaflets opposite, oblong, venation actinodromous, translucid punctuation absent absent. Inflorescence cymose, axillary. Flowers pedicellate, asymmetric, diplostemonous; calyx dialysepalous, sepals 5, corolla dialypetalous, yellow, petals 5; androecium dialystaminous, homodinamous, anthers longitudinal; ovary superior, sessile, pluriovulate. Fruit legume, sessile, linear, plane, margin straight, epicarp glabrous, brown. Seeds trapezoid, plane, coat black, hilum basal.

Examined material:— BRAZIL. Paraíba: Maturéia, Pico do Jabre , 800 m elev., 05 October 2018, fl. & fr., Aureliana Gomes 49 ( JPB) .

Distribution and ecology:— The species is polymorphic found in all regions of Brazil, in the phytogeographic domains of the Amazon, Caatinga, Cerrado, Atlantic Rainforest and Pantanal, in rocky environments, seasonal forests and highland swamps ( Escobar 2014; Flora do Brasil 2020).

Phenology:— Registered with flowers and fruits in October.

Taxonomic discussion:— Chamaecrista nictitans can be recognized by the subshrub habit, pilose branches, axillary cymose inflorescence and sessile legume fruit. This genus had four species, Chamaecrista nictitans morphologically more similar to Chamaecrista repens by multi-leaf leaves, but they are distinguished by sessile nectary and 30–32– leaflet leaves in C. nictitns vs. stipulate nectary and 20–22–leaflet leaves in C. repens .

Figures

FIGURE 4. Species of Fabaceae Lindl. of the study area, Pico do Jabre State Park, Paraíba, Brazil. a Chamaecrista nictitans. b Anadenanthera colubrina. c Chamaecrista zygophylloides. d Albizia polycephala. e Senna macranthera. f Mimosa invisa. g Senna rizzinii. h Calliandra subspicata. i Enterolobium contortisiliquum. j Senna martiana. (Source: the authors).