Caesalpin

Plant Sex: Flowers bisexual. Gymnocladus can be dioecious or polygamous.

Flowers: Zygomorphic. Sepals, petals and stamens free. The banner (standard) petal internal to the lateral (wing) petals.

Inflorescence: Mostly racemes or spikes.

Fruits: Legume, dry, dehiscent along both sutures or breaking into loments (1-seeded segments).

Habit: Tropical and subtropical trees and shrubs; a few temperate trees and herbaceous perennials.

Leaves: Alternate, pinnate or bipinnately compound, sometimes appearing simple; stipulate, with a pulvinus.

Examples:
Chamaecrista

C. fasciculata (partrige pea). Flowering shoot. Flower. Flower L.S. Seeds.

Cercis

C. canadensis (redbud). Habit of tree in flower near Japanese garden, SIUC. Leaves showing typical and lobed form. Flowers from trunk, i.e. cauliflory. Flower, lateral view. Flower L.S.

Gymnocladus

G. dioica (Kentucky coffee tree). Bipinnately compound leaf. Staminate inflorescence. Staminate flower face view. Carpellate inflorescence. Carpellate flower. Carpellate flower L.S. Fruits. Fruit opened to show seeds and fleshy pulp.

Gleditsia

G. triacanthos (honey locust). Habit of the tree in fruit. Trunk showing dense growth of thorns. Twice pinnately compound leaf.

Tamarindus

T. indica (tamarind). Flowering branches. Fruits.

Caesalpinia

C. gillesii (bird of paradise). Inflorescence.
C. pulcherima (pride of Barbados). Inflorescence.
C. bondoc (grey nickerbean). Fruiting shoot. Fruits.

Delonix

D. regia (royal poinciana). Habit of the tree. Flowering shoot. Flower.

Bauhinia

B. monandra. Branch with flowers and fruits.
B. tomentosa. Flowering branch.
B. variegata. Flower face view.

SIUC / College of Science / Elements of Plant Systematics
URL: http://www.plantbiology.siu.edu/PLB304/Lecture17Fabal/Caesalpin.html
Last updated: 01-Apr-08 / dln