Senna cruckshanksii (Hook. & Arn.) H.S.Irwin & Barneby
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Authors
Howard S. Irwin, Rupert C. Barneby
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Authority
Irwin, Howard S. & Barneby, Rupert C. 1982. The American Cassiinae. A synoptical revision of Leguminosae tribe Cassieae subtrib Cassiinae in the New World. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 35, part 1: 1-454.
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Family
Caesalpiniaceae
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Scientific Name
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Type
Holotypus not found at E, GL, or K, perhaps none preserved, but the protologue decisive.
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Synonyms
Cassia cruckshanksii Hook. & Arn., Cassia stipulacea var. tenuistipula Bertero ex Vogel, Cassia campanae Phil., Cassia confusa var. campanae (Phil.) Reiche
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Description
Species Description - Closely resembling S. stipulacea in habit, fl and pod, the foliage however, varying from dark olivaceous to notably glaucous, the pubescence inconspicuous, the lfts glabrous facially and sometimes also marginally. Stipules submembranous linear-ligulate or -attenuate 4-10 x 0.3-1.5 mm, caducous. Lvs 6-13 cm; petiole slender, (0.4-)0.6-l mm diam; rachis 2.5-6.5 cm; glands between proximal pair only or between lower 2-3 pairs, 1.5-3.3 x 0.4-0.6 mm; lfts (3-)4-5 pairs, in outline oblong or obovate obtuse or emarginate 14-43 x 8-20 mm, 2-3 times as long as wide, when relatively broad becoming inequilateral at base, the slender midrib immersed (but not depressed-sulcate), giving rise to 6-8 pairs of fine camptodrome secondary veins, these immersed or faintly prominulous above, discolored but not raised beneath. Inflorescence and individual fl of S. stipulacea except for narrow deciduous bracts, these subulate or lanceolate 1.5-4.5 x 0.4-0.9 mm; pedicels 14-29 mm; sepals 4.5-6.5 mm; longer petals 8-10.5 mm; androecium of S. stipulacea var. anglorum; ovary thinly strigulose or glabrous; style 1.8-2.2 x 0.15-0.2 mm, incurved at apex; ovules 9-11. Stipe of (little known) pod 4.5-5 mm, the piano-compressed body ±5-6 x 1.4-1.6 cm, the papery, transversely venulose valves shallowly expressed over seeds, the septa subobsolete; seeds (not seen fully ripe) apparently like those of S. stipulacea.—Collections: 7.
Distribution and Ecology - Wooded hillsides near 500 m, apparently local in the coast range of centr. Chile, in the states of Aconcagua (precise locality not recorded) and Valparaiso (Quillota; Limache; Cerro Campana).—Fl. IX-XII.
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Discussion
The scanty material that has contributed to our description of S. cruckshanksii is variable in amplitude and coloration of the foliage and consequently heterogeneous in superficial aspect. The type-series of Cassia stipulacea var. tenuistipula has mostly oblong leaflets, dark olive green above; Meyer 9703 has broadly obovate glaucous leaflets; and an isotypus of C. campanae has leaflets of intermediate size and shape, colored as those of var. tenuistipula. As all these originated on or near the foothills of Cerro Campana and have identically similar flower and stipules, we cannot doubt that the differences in foliage are due to site, exposure, or season. lf our definition of the species is correct, S. cruckshanksii emerges as very closely related to S. stipulacea, a kinship expressed in an essential likeness of flowers, pods and seeds; but differs conspicuously in the narrow stipules and floral bracts and in the prevailingly oblong-obovate rather than ovate-lanceolate outline of the leaflets. In the pod, except that the stipe (as known from only one collection) is longer, and in ovule number S. cruckshanksii does not differ from vicariant S. stipulacea var. anglorum; but the faint penninerved venation of the leaflets is more like that of more distantly allopatric var. stipulacea.
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Distribution
Aconcagua Chile South America| Valparaíso Chile South America|