Microlobius C. Presl, Abh. Koenigl . Boehm . Ges. Wiss. ser. 5, 3: 496. 1845.

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

1. Microlobius C. Presl, Abh. Koenigl. Boehm. Ges. Wiss. ser. 5, 3: 496. 1845.

Goldmania Rose, Mém. Soc. Phys. Genève 34: 274. 1903. Type. Goldmania platycarpa Rose [= Microlobius foetidus (Jacq.) M. Sousa & G. Andrade].

Type.

Microlobius mimosoides C. Presl [= Microlobius foetidus (Jacq.) M. Sousa & G. Andrade]

Description.

Trees or shrubs, 3-10 m tall; branches unarmed, smooth, lenticellate, glabrescent, sparsely covered with ferruginous granular trichomes, with a strong garlic odour (hence the epithet of its single species). Stipules caducous. Leaves bipinnate, petiole glabrescent, sparsely covered with ferruginous granular trichomes, petiolar nectary absent; rachis (0.2-) 3-7 cm long, glabrous or sparsely pubescent, sparsely covered with ferruginous granular trichomes, nectaries 1-3, 0.5-0.8 mm long, patelliform, inserted between the pairs of pinnae; pinnae in 1-2 (-3) opposite pairs, pinnae rachillae nectaries 1-2, 0.3 mm long, patelliform, positioned close to the pair of leaflets; leaflets in 1-2 opposite pairs, 2-5 × 1-2.5 cm, obovate or sometimes elliptic, a tuft of trichomes sometimes present at the base on the abaxial surface. Inflorescence a simple thyrse formed by cymules of 2-5 spikes, these 3-6 cm long (including the peduncle and rachis), covered with ferruginous granular trichomes, spike prophyll caducous, flower prophyll usually persistent during anthesis. Flowers monoclinous; calyx pentamerous, gamosepalous, 0.8-1 mm long, campanulate, pubescent; corolla pentamerous, gamopetalous, 3-4 mm long, cohered for at least ½ of its length, narrow-campanulate, pubescent; androecium with 10 stamens, anthers with a caducous apical gland. Fruit a follicle, sessile or subsessile, 4-7 × 1-1.5 cm, subfalcate, sparsely covered with ferruginous granular trichomes, valves coriaceous, dark brown. Seeds obovate, white. Fig. 3 .

Geographic distribution and habitat.

A monospecific genus distributed in seasonally dry forests of Mexico, Honduras, Venezuela, Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay and Argentina (Fig. 7 ).

Etymology.

From micro - (small) and lobion - (pods) in reference to the relatively small fruits, a noteworthy characteristic of Microlobius compared to closely related genera.

Figures

Figure 3. A, B Microlobius foetidus: A fruiting branch with white seeds exposed B detail of a leaflet showing the tuft of trichomes at the base of the midrib C-G Naiadendron duckeanum: C fruits D detail of the striated branch E detail of petiolar nectary (upper view, magnified) F bark slash showing reddish exudate G flowering branch. Photos: A Donovan Bailey B Alexandre Gibau de Lima C-G Marcelo Simon.

Figure 7. Distribution of Microlobius foetidus.