|Jepson Flora Project: Jepson Interchange|
|TREATMENT FROM THE JEPSON MANUAL (1993)||
previous taxon |
Jepson Interchange (more information)
©Copyright 1993 by the Regents of the University of California
AND IS MAINTAINED FOR ARCHIVAL PURPOSES ONLY
Annual to tree
Leaves generally compound, alternate, stipuled; leaflets generally entire
Inflorescence: generally raceme, spike, umbel or head; flowers sometime 12 in axils
Flowers generally bisexual, generally bilateral; hypanthium generally flat or cup-like; sepals generally 5, fused; petals generally 5, free, or the 2 lower ± fused; stamens 1many, often 10 with 9 filaments at least partly fused, 1 (uppermost) free; pistil 1, ovary superior, generally 1-chambered, ovules 1many, style, stigma 1
Fruit: legume, sometimes including a stalk-like base above receptacle, dehiscent, or indehiscent and breaking into 1-seeded segments, or indehiscent, 1-seeded, and achene-like
Seeds 1several, often ± reniform, generally hard, smooth
Genera in family: ± 650 genera, 18,000 species: worldwide; with grasses, requisite in agriculture and most natural ecosystems. Many cultivated, most importantly Arachis , peanut; Glycine , soybean; Phaseolus , beans; Medicago ; Trifolium ; and many orns
Reference: [Polhill & Raven (eds) 1981 Advances in legume systematics; Allen & Allen 1981 Leguminosae]
Family description and key to genera by Duane Isely.
Perennial, shrub, tree, unarmed
Leaves even-2-pinnate, alternate
Inflorescence: generally head, axillary, few-flowered
Flower radial, purplish red or white; sepals, petals inconspicuous; stamens many, strongly exserted, filaments fused below, free above
Fruit dehiscent; 2 valves recurving; margins thickened
Species in genus: ± 200 species: tropical Am, Madagascar, India
Etymology: (Greek: beautiful stamens)
Shrub < 30 cm; branches many, spreading from baseSee the CNPS Inventory for information about endangerment and rarity.
Leaves deciduous; 1° leaflets generally 24 pairs; 2° leaflets generally 79 pairs, ± 23.5 mm
Flower reddish purple; stamens 1822 mm
Fruit 5 cm, flat
Ecology: Sandy washes, slopes, mesas
Elevation: ± 1500 m.
Bioregional distribution: Sonoran Desert
Distribution outside California: Arizona, n Mexico
Flowering time: MarApr
Horticultural information: In cultivation.