Cassiinae pt 1 NY-Botanical_gardens_Vol. 35_1 - Copy.pdf - Antbase

1982] CASSIINAE—SENNA 323
buds subglobose glabrous; sepals petaloid yeUow or brown-tinged, obovate or
oblong-obovate, moderately graduated, the outermost 4.5-7 mm, the longest inner
one 7-10.5(-12) mm; petals orange-yellow, drying pale yeUow brown-veined,
aU glabrous, the 3 abaxial ones obovate beyond the claw, obtuse or emarginate,
the 2 abaxial a httle narrower but hardly or not longer, the longest petal 12.5-17
mm; androecium glabrous, functionaUy 6-merous, the 3 adaxial staminodes either
oblong emarginate or obcordate 0.6-1 mm, 1-2 of them sometimes transitional
in form to adjoining stamens; filaments of 4 median stamens 2-3.5 mm, of 2 latero-
abaxial ones 2.5-4.5 mm, the centric abaxial stamen 0, the anthers of 4 median
stamens 3-4.2 x 0.8-1 mm, of 2 abaxial ones 4.7-7.5 x 1.2-1.5 mm, very gently
and shaUowly incurved, all anthers obhquely tmncate and dehiscent by short shts
separated by a shallow notch; ovary pilosulous; ovules 10-16; style filiform,
gently incurved 2.5-3.3 x ±0.2 mm.
Pod divaricate from ascending pedicel, the stipe 2.5-3 mm, the hnear pianocompressed,
nearly always strongly evenly retroarcuate body 3.5-6 x 0.75-0.9
cm, bicarinate by the sutures, the thinly papery stramineous or purple-tinged
valves only slightly elevated over the seeds, remotely strigulose, finely venulose,
the interseminal septa membranous narrow, the seed-locules 3-5 mm long, as
wide as the cavity; seeds oblong-obovoid or pyriform, a httle compressed parallel
to the valves but plump, 3.6-4.7 x 2-3.5 mm, pinched at the hilum, the brown
or brownish-ohvaceous, dull or sublustrous testa smooth or almost so, the areole
circular or elUptic dimple-like 0.5-0.8 x 0.4-0.5 mm.—Collections: 10.
Arid rocky crests, banks and washes in desert and (n.-ward) in rainy-green
loma formation, 100-1100 m, discontinuously dispersed along the Andean foot­
hills and coastal hills from centr. Pem (Lima) to n. Chile (Antofagasta), in lat.
12°-25°S.—Fl. IV-V, VII-X.
A species readily distinguished from all others in Pacific South America by the
bifoholate leaves and papery pods curved backward in a strong but variable arc.
According to Bentham (1871, I.e.), occasional quadrifoholate leaves occur, but
as we have not encountered such in any modern collection of S. brongniartu, we
beUeve they must be of a random or freakish nature and accordingly have omitted
mention of them in the foregoing description.
The synonymy, worked out by Johnston (1929), is firmly estabhshed and re­
quires no comment. It seems probable that Bentham considered Cassia brongniartu
to be an unpubhshed name, for he examined the material of it in Paris
and perfectly understood its identity. The protologue consists of the plate alone,
unaccompanied by descriptive matter other than captions pubhshed subsequent­
ly; but under Article 44 of the Code the conditions for vahdity are amply met.
103. Senna weddelUana Irwin & Barneby, sp. nov., affinitatis fmctu ignoto incertae
sed adspectu toto S. lasseignianam arete simulans et quoad
pube, stipulas aUasque notulas ei vero similhma, sed foholis lanceo-
lato-acuminatis nee eUipticis, anthera centrica abaxiah cassa necnon
ovulis minus numerosis ±15-18 (nee 28+), ulteriusque patria procul
ahena certe diversa.—BOLIVIA. Cochabamba: Liriumi, 2570 m,
III. 1946 (fl), M. Cardenas i6i6.—Holotypus, US 1564478 = NY Neg.
10597.
Shmbs and slender trees at anthesis 1.5^ m, the terete brown hornotinous
stems, lf-stalks and axes of inflorescence pUosulous with erect or widely ascend­
ing yeUowish hairs up to 0.35-0.55 mm, the ample thin-textured fohage bicolored,
the hts above dark green pubemlent or glabrate, beneath paler and charged with