Nov., 1923] 
RYDBERG — NORTH AMERICAN FABACEAE 
493 
Wisteria Nutt. Gen. 2: 115. 1818. Type: W. speciosa Nutt., based on 
Glycine frutescens L. Sprengel (Syst. 3: 255. 1826) corrected the spelling 
of the name to Wistaria, as the genus had been dedicated to Dr. Wistar. 
The genus consists of 5 or 6 species, of which two are native of eastern 
and southern United States. It is evidently very closely related to the 
large Asiatic genus Millettia, the species of which are mostly trees or shrubs; 
only a few of them are climbing. 
Subtribe 3. Brongniartianae 
Trees or shrubs, with alternate odd-pinnate leaves, stipules, and some¬ 
times stipels. The flowers are axillary or in terminal racemes or panicles. 
The calyx is more or less 2-lipped, the tube short, the upper 2 lobes united 
high up, the lower 3 lobes also somewhat united. The corolla has a broad 
banner. The stamens are monadelphous or diadelphous. The pod is 
usually elongate, flat, 2-valved, several-seeded. The seeds are erect, i.e. } 
the longer axis of the seed is at right angles to the axis of the pod, with a 
well developed strophiole. 
The subtribe consists of the following two genera and two from Australia. 
It is distinguished by the well developed strophiole. Its relationship is 
probably with the Robinianae. 
Calyx 5-lobed, the upper 2 lobes united two thirds their length, the 
lower 3 usually free to near the base; stamens diadelphous. 5. Brongniartia. 
Calyx 2-lipped, the upper 2 and the lower 3 lobes united to the apex; 
stamens monadelphous. 6. Harpalyce. 
5. Brongniartia H.B.K. Nov. Gen. & Sp. 6 : 465. 1823 
Shrubs or trees, with odd-pinnate leaves. Stipules are present, but 
often caducous, the leaflets entire-margined, sometimes with minute stipels. 
The flowers are normally axillary in small 1- -7-flowered clusters. In some 
species, however, the upper floral leaves are reduced to the two stipules, 
which resemble a pair of bracts, and the inflorescence becomes falsely 
racemose. The individual flowers are subtended by a pair of bractlets, 
sometimes foliaceous, sometimes reduced to a pair of hair-tufts. The upper 
two calyx-lobes are united high up, the lower only slightly at the base. 
The corolla is red, brown, or purple; the banner is broad, its blade orbicular 
or broadly obovate, short-clawed; the wings are obliquely oblanceolate or 
obovate, more or less falcate, with a short fleshy claw and a rounded auricle; 
the blades of the keel-petals are broadly lunate, with a fleshy claw, united 
from the middle to the tip. The stamens are diadelphous, the alternate 
ones shorter; the ovary is short-stipitate, the style incurved, glabrous, 
the stigma minute. The pod is short-stipitate, flat, elongate, 2-valved, 
usually several-seeded, slightly wing-margined on the upper suture, the 
valves leathery. 
Illustration: Plate XXXIV E. Brongniartia Benthamiana Hemsl., 
X 2/3; 1. calyx, 2. staminal sheath, 3. pistil, 4. banner, 5. wing, 6. keel- 
petals, X 1; 7. pod, X 2/3; 8. seed of B. sericea Schlecht., X 1. 
The genus was established on two species, B. mollis and B. podalyrioides , 
of which the first may be regarded as the type. 
33 
