Stryphnodendron Mart., Flora 20(2): Beibl. 117. 1837.

de Lima, Alexandre G., de Paula-Souza, Juliana, Ringelberg, Jens J., Simon, Marcelo F., de Queiroz, Luciano P., Borges, Leonardo M., de F. Mansano, Vidal, Souza, Vinicius C. & Scalon, Viviane R., 2022, New segregates from the Neotropical genus Stryphnodendron (Leguminosae, Caesalpinioideae, mimosoid clade), PhytoKeys 205, pp. 203-237 : 203

4. Stryphnodendron Mart., Flora 20(2): Beibl. 117. 1837.

Folianthera Raf., Sylva Tellur.: 120. 1838. Type. Folianthera guianensis (Aubl.) Raf. [= Stryphnodendron guianense (Aubl.) Benth.].

Type.

Stryphnodendron barbadetiman (Vell.) Mart. [= Stryphnodendron adstringens (Mart.) Coville].

Description.

Trees, shrubs, or subshrubs, 0.25-45 m tall; branches unarmed, smooth or slightly striate, usually lenticellate, glabrescent, pubescent, tomentose, velutinous or villous, apex covered with ferruginous granular trichomes, not odoriferous. Stipules usually caducous Leaves bipinnate, petiole glabrescent, pubescent, tomentose, velutinous or villous, covered with ferruginous granular trichomes, petiolar nectary 1, 0.5-2 mm long, verruciform, conical, fusiform, lenticular or patelliform, positioned at the base or sometimes at the apex of the petiole; rachis 10-25 cm long, glabrescent, pubescent, tomentose, velutinous or villous, ferruginous-pulverulent, rachis nectaries 1-5, 0.5-3 mm long, conical, lenticular, patelliform or verruciform, inserted between the pairs of pinnae or just below them; pinnae in (3-) 5-32 subopposite, opposite or rarely alternate pairs, rachilla nectaries 1-5, conical, patelliform or verruciform, inserted between or just below the distal pairs of leaflets, leaflets in 8-20 alternate pairs, 0.6-1.2 × 0.3-0.6 cm, oblong, elliptic or sometimes obovate, a tuft of trichomes usually present at the base on the abaxial surface, not odoriferous. Inflorescence a simple thyrse formed by cymules of 2-6 spikes, spike 7-18 cm long (including peduncle and rachis), covered with ferruginous granular trichomes, spike prophyll caducous, flower prophyll usually caducous. Flowers monoclinous or rarely diclinous (only staminate flowers observed), calyx pentamerous, gamosepalous, 0.5-1 mm long, campanulate, cupuliform or tubular, glabrous, pubescent, puberulent, ciliate, tomentose, or villous; corolla pentamerous, gamopetalous 2.5-5 mm long, cohered for at least ½ of its length, campanulate, cupuliform or tubular, glabrous, pubescent, puberulent, tomentulose, tomentose, or villous; androecium with 10 stamens, anthers with apical gland caducous. Fruit a nucoid legume (indehiscent) or follicle, sessile, 8-14 × 2-3.5 cm, linear, oblong, or slightly curved, laterally compressed or turgid, sparsely covered with ferruginous granular trichomes, valves woody or coriaceous, brown. Seeds obovate to elliptic, black, brown, or ochre. Figs 5 , 6 .

Geographic distribution and habitat.

Stryphnodendron is a neotropical genus with its northern limit in Nicaragua and southern limit in the Brazilian state of Paraná. Stryphnodendron species occur in several vegetation types, and are especially frequent in savannas and in the Amazonian forest (Fig. 10 ).

Etymology.

The name Stryphnodendron comes from stryphnos - (adstringent) and dendron - (tree) and is a reference to the astringent properties of its tannin-rich bark.

Notes.

Stryphnodendron was first described by Martius (1837) based on three species: S. barbadetiman (Vell.) Mart., S. polyphyllum Mart. and S. rotundifolium Mart. The genus subsequently received a more detailed description and a broader circumscription by Bentham (1841, 1875, 1876), and currently comprises 28 species.

The genus can be recognized by a suite of characters: unarmed branches, ferruginous granular trichomes on young shoots and leaves, caducous stipules, leaves with (3-)5-32 pairs of pinnae; leaflets 0.6-1.2 × 0.3-0.6 cm, inflorescence always a simple thyrse, and the fruit a nucoid (indehiscent) legume or follicle.

Stryphnodendron differs from Microlobius in having branches and leaves lacking a garlic odour (vs. branches and leaves with a strong garlic odour in Microlobius ), leaves with (3-)5-32 pairs of pinnae (vs. leaves with 1-2 (-3) pairs of pinnae), alternate leaflets (vs. opposite leaflets), an extrafloral nectary present on the petiole (vs. extrafloral nectary absent on the petiole), brown or ochre seeds (vs. white seeds). The morphological distinctiveness and diagnosability among Stryphnodendron , Gwilymia and Naiadendron are addressed above.

Figures

Figure 5. A, C Stryphnodendron adstringens: A habit B foliage and inflorescences C fruit (manually opened) and seeds D S. flavotomentosum: trunk and detail of bark. Photos: A, B Henrique Moreira C Marcelo Simon D Geovane Siqueira.

Figure 6. A, B Styphnodendron forreroi: A flowering branch B detail of young shoot covered by reddish granular trichomes C, D S. heringeri: C fruits D habit E S. rotundifolium: detail of inflorescence. Photos: Marcelo Simon.

Figure 10. Distribution of Stryphnodendron.