Aeschynomene elegans Schltdl. & Cham.
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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: Hacienda de la Laguna, Jalapa, Vera Cruz, México. Type collected by Schiede and Deppe, cited below.
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Description
Description - Stems decumbent, to about 1 m. long, pubescent and also glandular-hispidulous; stipules 4-7 mm. long, about 1 mm. wide at base, lanceolate, acuminate, ciliate, subglabrous to sparsely hispidulous; leaves (7-)10-16-foliolate; leaflets obovate to subelliptic, about 8-15 mm. long, 4-9 mm. wide, obtuse, mucronate, entire, the upper surface sparsely pubescent to glabrous, the lower moderately pubescent; inflorescences commonly 2-7-flowered, longer than the subtending leaves, the pedicels and peduncles with indument like the stem, the bracts and bracteoles 0.5-1.5 mm. long, 0.5-1 mm. wide, ovate, acute, ciliate, flowers about 7 mm. long; calyx 2-3 mm. long, subglabrous, ciliolatc; standard about 7 mm. long, the claw 1 mm. long, the blade elliptical-orbiculate, about 6 mm. long, 4-6 mm. wide, entire, pubescent on the outer face; wings about 6 mm. long, the claw 1 mm. long, the blade about 5 mm. long and 2 mm. wide; keel about as long as the standard, the blades 1.5-2 mm. wide; stamens about 6 mm. long; fruit submoniliform, curved or straight, 5-9- (commonly 6-8-) articulate, the stipe (8-) 10-1 5 mm. long, glabrous or somewhat hispidulous, the articles obliquely suborbiculate, 2-2.5 mm. in diameter, crisp-pubescent, often slightly glabrate, the margins often separating from the body of the article; seeds about 1.8-2 mm. long, 1-1.5 mm. wide, dark brown.
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Discussion
As indicated in the key, the rather slender, moniliform, small-jointed, long-stipitate fruits and the leaves, which are commonly 10-16-foliolate, serve to distinguish Ae. elegans from other species in the series. Aeschynomene tecta is believed to be synonymous with Ae. elegans, on the basis of the original description, especially the stipe measurement of 7 lines, and the leaves with 7-10 pairs of leaflets. Examination of the type specimen of Ac. arenicola clearly shows that species also to be the same as Ae. elegans. The specimen annotated by Kuntze as Ae. falcata var. elegans forma glabrior is essentially identical with the collections of Ae. elegans cited in this paper. The designation of forma glabrior was in contrast to an unpublished form with short-stipitate, hispid fruits that is cited as Ae. brasiliana var. venezolana in this paper. Aeschynomene gracilis Vog. is here placed in synonymy with Ae. elegans on the basis of a photographic negative of a specimen, presumably an isotype, rather than with Ae.jalcata as was done by Bentham. Although in the original description the stated width and length of articles is two lines, whicli is nearer Ae. falcata than Ae. elegans, the number of leaflets is given as 4-6 pairs, a characteristic number for Ae. elegans. Only rarely can one find an 8-foliolate leaf on a specimen of Ae. falcata, and apparently never a greater number. It would seem that an error in measuring fruits as small as these would be more likely than a miscount of the number of leaflets.
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Common Names
pega-pega, dormidera, adormidera