monotypic
In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unispec ...
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...
of
flowering plant
Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...
, first established in 2019. Its only species is ''Serawaia strobilifera'', native to
Borneo
Borneo (; id, Kalimantan) is the third-largest island in the world and the largest in Asia. At the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, in relation to major Indonesian islands, it is located north of Java, west of Sulawesi, and eas ...
. The species was first described in 1994 as ''Callerya strobilifera''.
Description
''Serawaia strobilifera'' is a twining
vine
A vine (Latin ''vīnea'' "grapevine", "vineyard", from ''vīnum'' "wine") is any plant with a growth habit of trailing or scandent (that is, climbing) stems, lianas or runners. The word ''vine'' can also refer to such stems or runners themselv ...
scrambling up trees and river banks to a height of . Its stems are white or very pale grey. Its leaves are evergreen and generally have 2–3 pairs of leaflets plus a terminal leaflet. The erect
inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed o ...
consists of a slightly branched
panicle
A panicle is a much-branched inflorescence. (softcover ). Some authors distinguish it from a compound spike inflorescence, by requiring that the flowers (and fruit) be pedicellate (having a single stem per flower). The branches of a panicle are of ...
long. Individual flowers are long and have the general shape of members of the subfamily
Faboideae
The Faboideae are a subfamily of the flowering plant family Fabaceae or Leguminosae. An acceptable alternative name for the subfamily is Papilionoideae, or Papilionaceae when this group of plants is treated as a family.
This subfamily is wide ...
. Uniquely in the tribe Wisterieae, they are golden yellow in colour. The standard
petal
Petals are modified Leaf, leaves that surround the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often advertising coloration, brightly colored or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''c ...
is long by wide, lemon or golden yellow, with a yellow nectar guide. The wing petals are about the same length as the keel at long by 4–5 mm (0.2 in) wide. They are completely free from the keel and have short basal claws. The keel petals are long by 4–5 mm (0.2 in) wide. Nine of the
stamen
The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10
Morphology and terminology
A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filame ...
s are fused together, the other is free; all curve upwards at the apex. The flattened seed pods are long by wide, splitting to release their 2-3 seeds.
Taxonomy
''Serawaia strobilifera'' was first described by Anne M. Schot in 1994 as ''Callerya strobilifera''. A 2019
molecular phylogenetic
Molecular phylogenetics () is the branch of phylogeny that analyzes genetic, hereditary molecular differences, predominantly in DNA sequences, to gain information on an organism's evolutionary relationships. From these analyses, it is possible to ...
study showed that it fell outside the
clade
A clade (), also known as a monophyletic group or natural group, is a group of organisms that are monophyletic – that is, composed of a common ancestor and all its lineal descendants – on a phylogenetic tree. Rather than the English term, ...
containing the
type species
In zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the species that contains the biological type specimen ...
of ''Callerya'', and the new genus ''Serawaia'' was established for this species. The generic name refers to the Serawai river in west
Kalimantan
Kalimantan () is the Indonesian portion of the island of Borneo. It constitutes 73% of the island's area. The non-Indonesian parts of Borneo are Brunei and East Malaysia. In Indonesia, "Kalimantan" refers to the whole island of Borneo.
In 2019, ...
where the species was first discovered. In the 2019 study, the genus formed a clade with ''
Afgekia
''Afgekia'' is a small genus of large perennial climbing shrubs native to Thailand in Asia, belonging to the family Fabaceae.
They are reminiscent of the related genus of ''Wisteria''.
Species
As listed by Plants of the World Online;
* ''Afgekia ...
'', ''
Callerya
''Callerya'' is a genus of flowering plants in the legume family, Fabaceae. It belongs to the subfamily Faboideae. Genetic analysis shows ''Callerya'' and ''Wisteria'' to be each other's closest relatives and quite distinct from other members of ...
'', ''
Kanburia
''Kanburia'' is a genus of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae, native to Thailand. The genus was established in 2019. ''Kanburia'' species are twining woody vines.
Description
''Kanburia'' species are robust twining woody vines. Their young ...
'' and ''
Whitfordiodendron
''Whitfordiodendron'' is a genus of flowering plants in the legume family, of Fabaceae. It belongs to the subfamily Faboideae.Compton, J.A., Schrire, B.D., Könyves, K., Forest, F., Malakasi, P., Mattapha, S. & Sirichamorn, Y. 2019. The Callerya G ...
''. Its yellow flowers are one distinguishing feature.