Herbs or shrubs, clonal, unarmed, woody-based, 0.3–0.8 m, rhizomatous. Stems with dense, white, pustular len­ticels, puber­ulous, glabrescent, sparsely glandular or eglan­dular. Leaves: stipules not seen; petiole 1.3–4.1 cm, glabrous or puberulous and with few stipitate glands near base; rachis 2.5–5 cm, glabrous, sometimes with few short-stalked glands; pinnae 3 or 4 pairs, opposite, also with terminal pinna, gland-tipped appendages clustered at pinnae insertions; leaflets in 2 or 3 opposite pairs, petiolulate, a minute gland-tipped appendage at base of each petiolule, blades obovate to elliptic, terminal blades 4.5–11 × 3–7 mm, median blades 4–11 × 3–9 mm, fleshy, margins thickened, often drying purplish, apex rounded to obtuse, venation obscure, main vein evident abaxially, secondary veins brochidodromous, surfaces glabrous; blades eglandular. Inflorescences 15–20-flowered, terminal or axillary, axis glabrous, eglandular; bracts ovate, 2.5–4.5 mm, apex acute, puberulous with fimbriate-glandular margins. Pedicels articulate 1 mm proximal to calyx, 7–14 mm, puberu­lous, stipitate-glandular near apex. Flowers: calyx abax­ial lobe 5–7.5 mm, other four 4.5–6 mm, puberulous and stipitate-glandular, margins fimbriate-glandular; petals clawed; banner ovate-elliptic, 11 × 7–9 mm (including 0.5 mm claw), claw margins pubescent, a small triangle of hairs at claw apex on inner surface, petal without a ridge or flap of thickened tissue at claw apex, a few glands on blade margin near base; upper laterals obovate, 11 × 6 mm (including 1 mm claw), claw sparsely hairy and short-stalked glandular; lower laterals oblanceolate, 12 × 4.5 mm (including 2 mm claw), claw stipitate-glandular, glabrous; fila­ments 9–10 mm, pubescent on basal 1/2; anthers 1.5 × 0.8 mm; ovary puberulous, especially on suture, densely short-stalked glandular throughout; style curved, 10.5 mm, glabrous; stigma a terminal, flared or funnel-shaped chamber. Legumes 2.5 × 1.3 cm, subligneous, glabrous, with few scattered dark glands. Seeds 1 or 2.

Phenology: Flowering Feb–Aug.
Habitat: Subtropical, arid thorn scrub on limestone outcrops, sandy loam soils.
Elevation: 30–70 m.

Distribution

• Generated Map
• Legacy Map

Subtropical, arid thorn scrub on limestone outcrops, sandy loam soils, Tex., Mexico (Tamaulipas).

Discussion

Erythrostemon phyllanthoides is known from Jim Wells and Live Oak counties. The species is in the Center for Plant Conservation’s National Collection of Endangered Plants as Caesalpinia phyllanthoides.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.