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

1982] CASSIINAE—SENNA 411
but the emarginate banner widest, the lateral and abaxial petals obovate beyond
short claw, the longest petal 12-15 mm; androecium glabrous, the staminodes
1.3-1.6 mm wide, the filaments of 4 median stamens 1.5-2.6 mm, of 2 larger
abaxial ones 4.8-6.3 mm, of the centric abaxial one 3-4 mm, the anthers of 4
median stamens including shahowly obhquely 2-lipped beak 3.6-5 mm, that of
the SterUe centric abaxial one 1.8-5 x 0.4-0.7 mm, those of 2 long abaxial ones,
measured to obscure infraterminal constriction, (4-)4.2-5.8 x 1.3-1.8 mm, their
beak (0.8-)0.9-1.2 mm, its thickened abaxial lip projecting (0.4-)0.5-0.7 mm be­
yond orifice; ovary strigulose, thinly pUosulous or minutely scaberulous lateraUy,
the sutures often glabrous, the pubescence early sparse or evanescent; style
±2.5-3 mm, abruptly thickened distaUy and incurved through ±140-300°, at the
introrsely directed barbehate stigmatic cavity (0.4-)0.45-0.6 mm diam; ovules
(36-)40-52(-56).
Pod ascending, gently curved outward, the stipe 1.5-2.5 mm, the hnear pianocompressed
body (7-)9-14 x (0.5-)0.6-0.85 cm, the papery valves brown or pur­
phsh-castaneous paler-margined, scarcely venulose, a httle elevated over and
depressed between each successive pair of seeds, the membranous interseminal
septa 1.5-3.3(-^) mm apart, the seed-locules wider than long; seeds obhquely
transverse, varying in outline (sometimes in one pod) from broadly obovate to
oblong-elliptic, 2.7-4.5 x 1.7-2.8 mm, plump but compressed usually parallel to
the valves, rarely (in narrow locules) a little rotated on their long axis and incipiently
compressed parallel to the septa, the smooth dull or sublustrous testa
olivaceous or smoke-gray usually paler around the blackish areole and fuscous
at the periphery, the obovate or elliptic areole (1.8-)2.2-3.3 x 1.1-2 mm.—Col­
lections: 80.
Open woodlands, thickets, hammocks (Florida), coppice (Bahamas), often in
seasonally wet ground, coming out into pastures, roadsides, coastal sands and
coral reefs, from near sea level up to 1500 m in Jamaica and 1200 m in Hispaniola,
locaUy plentiful in peninsular Florida s.-ward from 28°30'N (Isely, 1975, map 46),
the Bahamas n.-w. from Exuma Sound, Cuba (all provinces), Jamaica, Cayman
Is. and Hispaniola; Isla Colon, Panama (Bocas del Toro, ?native); cultivated and
locaUy naturaUzed in Puerto Rico and Bermuda; the report (Britton & Millspaugh,
Bahama Fl. 167) from Guyana requires verification.—Fl. intermittently through
the year, most prohficahy VIII-IV, the pods often long persistent after fall of
seeds.—Privet senna; frijolillo; brusca.
Senna ligustrina is variable in pubescence and width of lfts, but we have not
found any significant correlation between these features or between either of
them and dispersal. The leaflets are commonly glabrous on both faces or glabrous
above and charged beneath with minute thickened glandiform trichomes. A no­
table exception is Liogier 14166 from Sa. de Bahoruco in southwestern Dominican
Republic, which is hirsutulous throughout with vertical hairs, and intermediate
states of vesture are not infrequent. The populations from the central highlands
of Dominican Repubhc have relatively broad leaflets (D. confusa), but not or
hardly broader than some in Florida. The typus of Peiranisia turquinae, inexphcably
referred by Britton to a different genus from Ditremexa ligustrina, consists
of branch-tips bearing only smaU upper leaves. It is unusual in the species as a
whole because of its large dark-colored and thick-textured floral bracts, but we
can find no supporting difference. More complete plants coUected later by Leon
on the slopes of Pico Turquino (nos. 10743, 10950) were both recognized by
Britton himself as Dit. Ugustrina. Peiranisia turquinae appears distinct only in
the context of the wrong genus.