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Project Name Data (Last Modified On 9/30/2013)
 

Flora Data (Last Modified On 9/30/2013)
Genus SESBANIA Scopoli
Contributor Peter S. White
PlaceOfPublication Introd. 308. 1777.
Note Nomen conserv. contra Sesban Adanson, Agati Adanson. LECTOTYPE: Aeschynomene sesban L. = Sesbania sesban (L.) Merrill (designated by Jones, 1960).
Synonym Sesban Adans., Fam. P1. 2: 327, 604. 1763. Nomen rejic. contra Sesbania. Based on Aeschynomene sesban L. = Sesbania sesban (L.) Merrill. Agati Adanson, Fam. P1. 2: 326, 513. 1763. Nomen rejic. contra Sesbania. Based on Robinia gran- diflora L. = Sesbania grandiflora (L.) Pers. Sesbana R. Brown in Ait., Hort. Kew., (ed. 2) 4: 330. 1812. Sesbania Scop., orth. mut. Daubentonia DC., Comm. Mem. Legum. 285. 1823. TYPE: Piscidia punicea Cav. = Sesbania punicea (Cav.) Benth. Resupinaria Raf., Sylva Tell. 115. 1838. TYPE: Robinia grandiflora L. Sesbania grandiflora (L.) Pers. Emerus Kuntze, Rev. Gen. P1. 1: 180. 1891. TYPE: Aeschynomene sesban L. = Sesbania sesban (L.) Merrill. Non Emerus Mill. (1754) nor Emerus Guettard (1753). Daubentoniopsis Rydb., Amer. J. Bot. 10: 497. 1923. TYPE: Aeschynomene longifolia Cav. = Ses- bania longifolia (Cav.) DC.
Description Annual or perennial herbs, shrubs, or small trees. Leaves alternate, even pinnate, often relatively narrow in outline and with numerous leaflets; leaflets oblong, entire, obtuse at the apex, rounded at the base, often glaucous, short petioluled; stipules small, deciduous; stipels minute or apparently absent. Info- rescence of relatively short and few-flowered axillary racemes; bracts and brac- teoles small, apparently deciduous. Flowers with the hypanthium broadly cam- panulate, as broad as long or broader, the 5 teeth equal, often short, truncate to triangular with the tip acute to acuminate; often thin; petals white, yellow, pur- plish, red, sometimes white spotted with color or variegated; standard longer than other petals, nearly round in outline, reflexed, short clawed and usually appendaged at the base, the wing petals free, the keel petals curved, joined below, with long claws; stamens diadelphous, the vexillary stamen free, geniculate near the base, the united stamens equal or 5 alternate ones somewhat longer; ovary stipitate, linear, the stigma small, capitate. Fruit often long and slender, terete (in extra-Panamanian species sometimes compressed, 4-angled or 4-winged), short stipitate, beaked, septate between the seeds within, the outside indented between the seeds in some species, 2-valved, indehiscent in a few species, the calyx often not persistent in fruit; seeds many oblong, slightly compressed, smooth, brown.
Habit herbs, shrubs, or small trees
Note Sesbania is a genus of some 50 species of the tropical and warm parts of both the New and Old World. Among its relatives in Panama it is distinguished by the relatively long and narrow even pinnate leaves. Three species are known from Panama, one of which, Sesbania grandiflora- (L.) Pers., is an introduced tree. The two other species are native herbs. Sesbania sesban (L.) Merrill, a weedy plant native to the Old World tropics, has become established in parts of the West Indies and South America. It has not yet been collected in Panama, but is to be looked for there. In general it resembles Sesbania emerus and S. exasperata, which are treated below, but can be distinguished by several characters: the calyx teeth are low triangular, less than 1 mm long, and acute; calyx is less than 5 mm long; corolla is less than 1.5 cm long; racemes are 5-12 flowered; outside of the legume is indented between the seeds. In Sesbania emerus and S. exasperata, the calyx lobes are acuminate, longer than 1 mm; calyx is more than 6 mm long; corolla is more than 1.5 cm long; the racemes are usually less than 6-flowered, and the outside of the legume is not or only slightly indented between the seeds. Sesbania sesban, the type species, has received attention in recent literature regarding tautonyms and paratautonyms (Nicolson, 1975; Terrell, 1977). Terrell (1977) argues that names such as Lycopersicon lycopersicum should be regarded as tautonyms since the two words that make up the binomial are orthographic variants of one another. Both the generic name and the specific epithet are in- flected variants of the same stem word. He feels that such names are prone to confusion. On the other hand, he feels that such names as Sesbania sesban are less confusing. Here, the stem of the specific epithet is uninflected. Terrell (1977) argues that the two words making up the binomial Sesbania sesban are not orthographic variants and that the binomial is not a tautonym. Terrell's argument and proposal seem entirely reasonable and with this in mind the name Sesbania sesban (L.) Merrill is used here. The type of Agati Adanson was initially listed in the Code (1961) and in the Index Nominum Genericorum as Robinia caragana L. Later, both were cor- rected to Robinia grandiflora L., i.e., in later editions of the Code list of con- served and rejected names and in a correction card in the ING list.
Reference Jones, K. 1960. The lectotype species selections of Britton and Brown and the standard species of Hitchcock and Green. Taxon 9: 175-189. Nicolson, D. H. 1975. Paratautonyms, a comment on proposal 146. Taxon 24: 389-390. Seemann, B. 1857. The botany of the voyage of the H.M.S. Herald. London. 483 pp. Terrell, E. E. 1977. The name for tomato. Taxon 26: 129-148.
Key a. Flowers large, 6-9 cm long; fruit (20-)30-50 cm long; an introduced small tree, but some- times flowering when quite young ...... 3. S. grandiflora aa. Flowers smaller, ca. 1.5-2.5 cm long; fruit 15-25 cm long; native herbs or with shrubby appearance to several m high. b. Legume 3-4 mm broad; seeds 3-4 mm long; corolla less than 2 cm long; pedicels in both flower and fruit relatively slender, rarely more than 1 mm wide, if so then not over 2 mm wide in fruit ...... 1. S. emerus bb. Legume 4-6 mm broad; seeds 4-5 mm long; corolla 1.8-2.5 cm long; pedicels rela- tively stout, over 2 mm wide in fruit ...... 2. S. exasperata
 
 
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