Aeschynomene viscidula Michx.
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Authority
Rudd, Velva E. 1955. The American species of Aeschynomene. Contr. U. S. Natl. Herb. 32: 1-172.
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Family
Fabaceae
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Scientific Name
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Type
Type locality: "Habitat in arenosis insulae Cumberland et Florida," United States. Type presumably was collected by Michaux but neither specimen nor exact locality was cited.
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Description
Description - Stems prostrate to about 1 m. long, viscidulous-pubescent with glandular hairs and also crisp-pubescent; stipules deltoid-ovate, acute, 2-4 mm. long, 1.5-2 mm. wide, hispidulous to subglabrous, ciliate; leaves to about 2.5 cm. long, 5-9-foliolate, the petiole and rachis pubescent like the stem; leaflets 4-10 mm. long, 3-7 mm. wide, obliquely obovate-cuneate, ciliate-denticulate, mucronulate, the costa subcentral, the upper surface pubescent, reticulate; inflorescences 1-8-flowered, frequently longer than the subtending leaves, the peduncles and pedicels pubescent like the stem; bracts stipule-like, decreasing in size toward the flowers, the bracteoles ovate, about 2 mm. long and 1 mm. wide; flowers 5-7 mm. long; calyx 2.5-3.5 mm. long, hispidulous, ciliate; standard about 6 mm. long, the claw 1-1.5 mm. long, the blade orbicular, about 5 mm. in diameter, pubescent on the outer face, retuse, entire; wings about the same length as the standard, the blade about 2 mm. wide; keel falcate, the claws about 3 mm. long, the blades 2.5-3 mm. long, about 2 mm. wide; stamens about 6 mm. long; legume commonly 2- or 3- (rarely 4- or 5-) articulate, the stipe 1-3 mm. long, subglabrous, the articles 3.5-4 mm. in diameter, densely white-tomentulose and commonly beset with glandular hairs, or rarely the terminal articles glabrous; seeds 2.5-3 mm. long, about 2 mm. wide.
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Discussion
This species is readily distinguished by its short-stipitate, densely white-tomentulose fruits with articles 3.5-4 mm. in diameter. Herbarium specimens usually have a considerable amount of sand adhering to them, attesting to the viscid nature of the plants. There is some instability of fruit indument; the glandular hairs occasionally fail to develop, or the tomentum may be lacking from the terminal one or two joints of otherwise normal fruits. These aberrances, when they occur, are often consistent over the entire plant. Specimens from Texas, northern México, Guadeloupe, and Curaçao have been observed with partially glabrous fruits. Aeschynomene prostrata, based on Ae. viscidula Michx., was proposed by Poiret because of homonymy with Willdenow's Ae. viscidula. However, the latter apparently was merely an unpublished herbarium name until 1809 and thus became the illegitimate later homonym. The type specimen of Ae. eriocarpa appears to be an individual of Ae. viscidula whose fruits show no development of glandular hairs, a condition which occurs occasionally throughout the range of the species. Another name is therefore added to the synonymy. Small included Ae. viscidula in his genus Secula, which in this paper is placed in synonymy under Aeschynomene. The calyx and corolla characters on which Small based his generic separation are not believed critical enough to warrant such treatment.