Rhynchosia swartzii (Vail) Urb.

  • Authority

    Grear, John W. 1978. A revision of the New World species of Rhynchosia (Leguminosae-Faboideae). Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 31 (1): 1-168.

  • Family

    Fabaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Rhynchosia swartzii (Vail) Urb.

  • Description

    Species Description - Slender vine to 3m, herbaceous or suffrutescent, from woody base, the stems one to several, branching, trailing or twining, angular, resin-dotted and sparingly soft hirsute, the hairs silvery, becoming glabrate. Stipules narrowly lanceolate to lanceolate, acuminate, hirsutulose, persistent, 3-4 mm long, 0.5-1.5 mm wide. Petioles slender, l-5(-6) cm, hirsute. Leaflets 3, membranaceous, ovate, acute or long-acuminate, base obtuse, rounded or sub-truncate, 2-6 cm long, 1.5-4.5 cm wide, hirsute to glabrate above, hirsute and gland-dotted beneath, terminal petiolule 8-15 mm, the laterals subobsolete to 2 mm, stipels setiform, 1-2 mm. Inflorescences few-flowered (2-10), equalling but not exceeding the leaves, l-4(-6) cm, unbranched, flowers lax, peduncle 0.5-2 cm, pedicels filiform, 2-4 mm, all somewhat viscid. Bracts linear, acuminate, persistent, 1-2 mm long, 0.5 mm wide. Calyx not exceeding the corolla, hirsute-viscid, 3.5-5 mm, tube 2.5-5 mm, lobes broadly lanceolate, acuminate, 1.5-2 mm, vexillar sinus 1 mm. Corolla dull yellow, 5-8 mm. Standard obovate, marginate, gland-dotted and puberulous, 5-8 mm long, 3-4.5 mm wide, auricles 0.5 mm, claw 0.5-1 mm. Wings oblong, glabrous, 4-5 mm long, 1-1.5 mm wide, claw 0.5-1 mm. Keel blades falcate, glabrous, 4.5-5 mm long, 2-2.5 mm wide, claw 1 mm. Stamens 3.5-5 mm. Fruits acinaciform, tapering towards base, brown, compressed, densely puberulous wtih few long scattered hairs, 2.5-4 cm long, 5-9 mm wide, beak 2-3 mm. Seeds reniform, red, barely compressed, 4-6 mm long 3-3.5 mm wide, hilum ovate, 1-2 mm, strophiole lobes cuneate.

  • Discussion

    Dolicholus swartzii Vail, Bull. Torrey Club 26: 108. 1899. Rhynchosia caribaea sensu Chapman, Fl. So. U. S. 104. 1860, non R. caribaea (Jacquin) de Candolle, 1825. Rhynchosia caribaea sensu Grisebach, Cat. Pl. Cub. 74. 1866, non R. caribaea (Jacquin) de Candolle, 1825. Rhynchosia gundlachii Urban, Symb. Antill. 5: 374. 1908. Type. FLORIDA. “Key West, climbing on trees, all seasons, damp places,” Blodgett sn, w/o date (lectotype selected, NY!; isotypes, GH!, NY!; paratypes, Swartz sn, BM!, S!). Local Names. Bonaney bean (Bahamas): peonía de sabana (Cuba). The distinguishing features of this taxon are the extremely small flowers, persistent bracts and stipules and red seeds. The only other species in the genus with uniformly red seeds (R. nelsoni) is in series 4. The pod and foliage of R. swartzii are quite similar to those of the African species, R. caribaea, which was once thought to occur naturally in the New World and it has been mistaken for the latter species in the past. The species described as R. caribaea DC. in southern Florida by Chapman (1860) and in Cuba by Grisebach (1866) is actually R. swartzii.

  • Distribution

    Distribution. Florida Keys, Bahamas, Cuba and Mexico (Yucatan Peninsula) (Fig. 16). Occurring in hammocks, thickets, open woods and pastures, rocky hillsides and roadsides, in sandy soil.

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