Callerya Endl., Gen. Pl. Suppl. 3: 104 (1843), emend nov. J.Compton and Schrire

Compton, James A., Schrire, Brian D., Koenyves 3, Kalman, Forest, Felix, Malakasi, Panagiota, Sawai Mattapha, & Sirichamorn, Yotsawate, 2019, The Callerya Group redefined and Tribe Wisterieae (Fabaceae) emended based on morphology and data from nuclear and chloroplast DNA sequences, PhytoKeys 125, pp. 1-112 : 45-46

7. Callerya Endl., Gen. Pl. Suppl. 3: 104 (1843), emend nov. J.Compton and Schrire

≡ Millettia Sect. Curvistylae Z.Wei, Acta Phytotax. Sin. 23(4): 284 (1985)

= Millettia Ser. Dielsianae Z.Wei, Acta Phytotax. Sin. 23(4): 284 (1985) Type species: Millettia dielsiana Harms ex Diels, Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 29(3-4): 412 (1900).

= Millettia Ser. Oospermae Z.Wei, Acta Phytotax. Sin. 23(4): 284 (1985) Type species: Millettia oosperma Dunn, J. Linn. Soc. Bot. 41: 157 (1912a).

Diagnosis.

Callerya s.str. is here recognised as comprising C. nitida , C. bonatiana , C. cochinchinensis , C. cinerea and C. dielsiana . The Flora of China account ( Wei and Pedley 2010), included a further eight species: C. tsui , C. dorwardii , C. sphaerosperma , C. congestiflora , C. longipedunculata , C. gentiliana , C. oosperma and C. sericosema which we have not been able to ascertain the status of due to a paucity of study material. Their descriptions in Wei and Pedley (2010), however, indicate that they should be placed in Callerya s.str. The flowers in Callerya s.str. have wing petals shorter than the keel petals (vs. equal or longer in Kanburia and Whitfordiodendron ). The standard is also proportionately larger than in Kanburia and Whitfordiodendron . The keel is glabrous in Callerya s.str. (vs. sericeous in Whitfordiodendron ).

Type species.

Callerya nitida (Benth.) R.Geesink ≡ Millettia nitida Benth.

Genus description.

Short scandent vines scrambling over rocks or shrubs to 0.5-1 m tall, or tall scrambling climbers to 20 m tall. Stems grey, yellowish or brown, terete, pubescent or glabrescent. Leaves with 3-13 leaflets, evergreen, glabrous or strigose, (villose in C. bonatiana ) imparipinnate, rachis 3-16 (- 40) cm long. Stipules 1-4 mm long, deltoid, caducous (persistent on C. nitida ). Stipels 2-7 mm long, linear, persistent (absent in C. bonatiana ). Leaflets 3-15 (- 22) x 2-6 (- 10) cm, terminal leaflet distinctly larger than laterals, basal pair usually smallest; lateral leaflets, ovate or obovate or lanceolate, ovate-elliptic or narrowly elliptic, glabrous or pubescent (densely villose below in C. bonatiana ), apex obtuse or acute or acuminate, margins entire, base rounded, cuneate or subcordate. Inflorescence a terminal panicle 6-20 (- 40) cm long, (racemes axillary 8-12 cm long in a leafy panicle in C. bonatiana ), peduncle yellow or brown puberulous or tomentose. Flowers 11-25 mm long, emerging from March - November. Floral bracts 1-6 mm long, narrowly ovate, deltoid or linear, caducous. Bracteoles at top of pedicel 1-6 mm long, (reflexed in C. nitida ) narrowly ovate, deltoid or linear, caducous or persistent. Pedicels 2-10 mm long, tomentose or puberulent. Calyx 3-12 × 4-10 mm broadly campanulate, oblique, sparsely pubescent or densely sericeous externally, five lobed, teeth unequal 1-6 mm long, obtuse, subtruncate or acute. Standard 12-25 × 8-17 mm, elliptic or ovate, white, pink, lilac, red, mauve, violet, green or purple, nectar guide yellow or green, back of standard densely white, yellow or brown sericeous, apex acute, retuse or obtuse (nectar guide fringed with hairs on inner face on C. bonatiana ), callosities of ridge or boss type. Wing petals 5-15 × 2-5 mm, glabrous, shorter than the keel, each narrowly obovate, straight at apex; free from the keel, apex obtuse, basal claws 2-5 mm long. Keel petals 8-16 × 3-6 mm, glabrous, united into a falcate, navicular cup, apex obtuse. Stamens diadelphous, nine fused together, the vexillary one free, all curved upwards at apex. Ovary densely sericeous, tomentose or velutinous, style 6-9 mm long, ciliate at base ( C. cochinchinensis ) or glabrous, curved upwards at apex, stigma punctate. Pods 4-15 × 1.5-4 cm, flat or inflated, linear, linear-oblong, rhomboid-oblong rarely globose, straight or torulose, dehiscent, surface grey, brown or yellow tomentose, subseptate. Seeds (1 -) 2-5, ovoid, orbicular, oblately-spheroid or ellipsoid, 8-30 × 6-35 × 2-20 mm, hilum central, elliptic or oval 2-5 × 0.5-1 mm.

Distribution.

Bangladesh; Bhutan; China (Anhui, Fujian, Guandong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hainan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, Sichuan, Shaanxi, Yunnan, Zhejiang); India; Laos; Myanmar; Nepal; Thailand; Vietnam.

Etymology.

The genus Callerya is named after Joseph Gaetan Pierre-Maxime-Marie Callery (1810-1862) scholar, missionary and sinologist.