Enterolobium contortisiliquum (Velloso 1827: t 25) Morong (1893: 102)

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 : 29

15. Enterolobium contortisiliquum (Velloso 1827: t 25) Morong (1893: 102) . ( Fig. 4i )

Trees, branches glabrescent, inermous. Nectary petiolar, sessile. Stipules caducous. Leaves bipinnate, paripinnate, 8– 12–foliolate, leaflets opposite, oblong, venation actinodromous,translucid punctuation absent. Inflorescence glomerule, axillary. Flowers sessile, actinomorphic, diplostemonous; calyx gamosepalous, sepals 5, corolla gamopetalous, tubular, whitish, petals 5; androecium monadelphous, homodinamous, anthers longitudinal; ovary superior, sessile, pauciovulate. Fruit samara, sessile, linear, plane, margin straight, epicarp glabrous, black. Seeds oblong, plane, coat brown, hilum basal.

Examined material:— BRAZIL. Paraíba: Maturéia, Pico do Jabre , 800 m elev., 02 December 2019, fl. & fr., Aureliana Gomes 509 ( JPB) .

Distribution and ecology: —It is distributed in Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay and Brazil, where it has records in the Central-West, South and Southeast regions and, mainly, in the Northeast region (BA, CE, PB, PE, PI and RN) in the phytogeographies domains of the Caatinga, Cerrado and Atlantic Rainforest. It is an atypical species in the Caatinga, being most commonly found in the Atlantic Rainforest ( Escobar 2017; Queiroz 2009).

Phenology:— Registered with flowers and fruits in December.

Taxonomic discussion:— Enterolobium contortisiliquum can be recognized, mainly, by the arboreous habit, inermous branches, glomerular inflorescence, white flowers, monadelphous androecium and samara fruits. This species is very peculiar because it has very thick, striate, gray trunks and an open canopy with diffuse branches.

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).