Sophora

  • Authority

    Isely, Duane. 1981. Leguminosae of the United States. III. Subfamily Papilionoideae: tribes Sophoreae, Podalyrieae, Loteae. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 25 (3): 1-264.

  • Family

    Fabaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Sophora

  • Description

    Species Description - Trees, shrubs, or perennial herbs. Leaves odd-pinnate with 5-numerous leaflets; stipels absent. Stipules small, deciduous or obsolescent (persistent in S. davidii) in woody species; conspicuous at basal nodes in herbaceous species. Flowers in terminal racemes or panicles, or sympodially intercalary, or axillary; bracts narrow, deciduous. Pedicels often minutely bibracteolate. Calyx with a distinct hypanthial base; tube obconic to broadly campanulate; lobes short, commonly 4, the upper one double. Corolla papilionaceous, various in color; standard short-clawed, not auriculate, often in some (the herbaceous species) inserted separately from other petals; wings and keel petals similar, free, short- or medium-clawed; oblong, auriculate and spurred or not; keel petals commonly broader than wings, the dorsal margins usually involute and overlapping. Stamens separate or basally connivent, in two slightly differentiated series; anthers dor-sifixed. Pistil stipitate or not, with several ovules, pubescent; stigma terminal, capitate, small. Fruit oblong, turgid (-laterally compressed), usually torulose, often irregularly so due to abortion of some ovules, usually indehiscent; valves coriaceous to woody. Seeds large, sometimes red.

  • Discussion

    Broussonetia Gómez-Ort. Edwardsia Salisb. Patrinia Raf. Vexibia Raf. Pseudosophora (DC.) Sweet. Styphnolobium Schott. Calía Teran & Berlan. Zanthyrsis Raf. Agastianis Raf. Dermatophyllum Scheele. x = 9; secondary 8, 14 (citations in text). The taxonomic history of Sophora was recently reviewed by Crowder (1978). Rudd (1968a) summarized the Mexican species and (1972) treated all native North American kinds. Yakovlev (1964, 1967, 1968a, 1968b) has studied the genus on a world-wide basis, his interpretations evolving with succeeding publications. The sectional groups of Rudd (1972) and Yakovlev (1967), as they concern North American species, are similar taxonomically but differ in nomenclature and, in two instances, in rank. I have not studied the subgeneric nomenclature. The following summary lists sectional names of Rudd for those that have North American representatives (Yakovlev synonyms given), and Yakovlev’s names for those represented only by introduced species. The names are appended to specific descriptions. Section Sophora (sect. Pseudosophora DC. of Yakovlev; Goebelia Bunge ex Boiss. of many European authors). S. nuttalliana, leachiana, stenophylla. Perennial herbs; calyx gibbous; insertion of standard separate from other petals. n = 9, 18, 27 (Crowder, 1978). Section Sophora includes also the widely distributed Eurasian, S. alopecuroides L. Two Eurasian species have been determined to be tetraploid (2n = 36), and one American one (S. leachiana), a tetraploid or hexaploid (n = 18, 27). Seemingly, polyploidy is specific for this group. Section Aigialodes Rudd (sect. Sophora of Yakovlev). S. tomentosa. Woody; flowers in terminal racemes; calyx truncate; keel petals usually subconnate. n = 9. Section Calia (Berland.) Rudd (genus Calia Teran & Berland. of Yakovlev). S. secundiflora, S. arizonica, S. gypsophila. Woody; leaves coriaceous; hypan-thium well developed; calyx lobed; fruit large, terete or compressed, n = 9. Section Styphnolobium (Schott) Yakovlev (genus Styphnolobium Schott of Yakovlev) S. affinis, S. japonica (introduced). Woody; inflorescence paniculate. n = 14 (Tschechow, 1931). Section Hammermannia Yakovlev. S. davidii, introduced. Plants spiny from short determinate twigs; stamens monadelphous ca. ½ of length, n = 9. Section Edwardsia (Salisb.) Seemann. S. microphylla, S. tetraptera, introduced. Woody. Pods of our species winged, a group of South Pacific distribution. n — 9 (Atchison, 1949, 1951); n = 8 (Crowder, 1978). Several species, primarily S. japonica, S. davidii, S. microphylla, S. tetraptera and S. secundiflora, are horticultural ornamentals (Everett, 1971). Economic utilizations otherwise are tabulated by Uphof (1968).

  • Distribution

    Warm and temperate regions in both hemispheres, ca. 40 species. Eight species native, primarily of the sw U.S., one (S. nuttalliana) extending n to North Dakota; approximately an equal number introduced in horticulture. See also Hortus Third entries (Bailey Hort., 1976) in addendum.

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