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Indian rosewood, rosewood

coinvine

Habit Shrubs or trees [lianas], unarmed. Shrubs or trees, to 4(–6) m; stems sometimes scandent.
Stems

erect or scandent, young growth densely strigose or villous or glabrescent, peduncles and pedicels eglandular.

Leaves

alternate, odd-pinnate or unifoliolate;

stipules present, caducous;

petiolate;

leaflets 1–5[+], alternate, stipels absent, blade margins entire, surfaces glabrous or pubescent.

unifoliolate;

stipules lanceolate, 10 × 2 mm, apex acuminate;

petiole 0.4–0.6 cm, puberulent to sericeous;

petiolules 3–5 mm, puberulent;

leaflet blades elliptic to ovate, (25–)50–80 × (20–)50–80 mm, base rounded to subcordate, apex abruptly narrowed to obtuse tip, surfaces sometimes discolorous, sublustrous, subsericeous, becoming moderately appressed-pubescent or glabrous.

Inflorescences

10–50-flowered, axillary [lateral or terminal], racemes, panicles, or corymbs;

bracts present;

bracteoles paired proximal to calyx.

racemose in fascicles, axes pilose;

bracts caducous, blade deltate, 1 × 0.5 mm, apex acute;

bracteoles subpersistent, blade deltate-ovate, 1 × 0.3–0.5 mm, apex acute.

Pedicels

1–1.5 mm.

Flowers

papilionaceous;

calyx campanulate, lobes 5;

corolla usually white, creamy white, or yellowish, sometimes pinkish [purple], glabrous;

stamens 9 or 10, monadelphous or diadelphous [triadelphous];

anthers basifixed, relatively small, dehiscing apically;

style glabrous;

stigma terminal, small.

calyx 3–3.5 mm, base rounded, pilose or subsericeous, lobes subequal, barely distinct from tube, deltate;

corolla usually white, sometimes pinkish, 8–9 mm;

stamens 10, monadelphous or diadelphous (5 + 5);

filaments nearly equal;

pistil glabrous.

Fruits

legumes, stalk present, compressed, straight, compressed, narrowly ellipsoid to oblong or subglobose to subreniform, indehiscent, often winged (samaroid), glabrous or pubescent.

Legumes

stalk 3 mm;

subglobose to subreniform, 20–35 × 15–20 mm, base rounded, apex rounded, surface sericeous becoming appressed-pubescent or glabrescent.

Seed(s)

1–4[–6], reniform;

hilum lateral.

1.

x

= 10.

2n

= 20.

Dalbergia

Dalbergia ecastaphyllum

Phenology Flowering Apr–Aug.
Habitat Hammocks, coastal thickets, wooded dunes, swamps, shores, margins of mangroves.
Elevation 0–10 m. (0–0 ft.)
Distribution
from USDA
Mexico; Central America; South America; Florida; West Indies; Asia; Africa; tropical to warm temperate areas
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
FL; Mexico; Central America; South America; West Indies; Africa
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Species ca. 100 (3 in the flora).

Dalbergia includes important timber species prized for the color and grain of the wood (M. Chudnoff 1984).

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Key
1. Leaves 3–5-foliolate; leaflet blades ovate, apex abruptly acuminate or cuspidate; stamens 9; corolla creamy white to yellowish; legumes narrowly ellipsoid to oblong, stalk 5–6 mm; seeds 1 or 2(–4).
D. sissoo
1. Leaves unifoliolate; leaflet blades elliptic, ovate, or ovate-elliptic, apex usually acute, sometimes acuminate or obtuse, or abruptly narrowed to obtuse tip; stamens 10; corolla often white, sometimes pinkish; legumes ellipsoid to oblong or subglobose to subreniform, stalk 3 mm; seeds 1–4.
→ 2
2. Legumes ellipsoid to oblong, 10 mm wide; seeds 1–4; leaflet apex usually acute, sometimes acuminate or obtuse, surfaces lustrous, glabrous or lightly appressed-pubescent, hairs minute.
D. brownei
2. Legumes subglobose to subreniform, 15–20 mm wide; seed 1; leaflet apex abruptly narrowed to obtuse tip, surfaces sublustrous, subsericeous becoming moderately appressed-pubescent or glabrous.
D. ecastaphyllum
Source FNA vol. 11. Authors: Velva E. Rudd†, Michael A. Vincent. FNA vol. 11.
Parent taxa Fabaceae > subfam. Faboideae Fabaceae > subfam. Faboideae > Dalbergia
Sibling taxa
D. brownei, D. sissoo
Subordinate taxa
D. brownei, D. ecastaphyllum, D. sissoo
Synonyms Amerimnon, Ecastaphyllum Hedysarum ecastaphyllum, Ecastaphyllum brownei, Pterocarpus ecastaphyllum
Name authority Linnaeus f.: Suppl. Pl., 52, 316. (1782) — name conserved (Linnaeus) Taubert in H. G. A. Engler and K. Prantl: Nat. Pflanzenfam. 101–102[III,3]: 335. (1894) — (as ecastophyllum)
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