The Dalbergioid Adesmia clade comprises Adesmia DC., Amicia Kunth, Nissolia Jacq., Poiretia Vent., and Zornia J.F. Gmel., all predominantly South American genera except for Zornia which has a pantropical distribution. These taxa share a shrubby or herbaceous habit with glands present on some part of the plant (e.g., stems, leaflets). However, the evolutionary relationships of the full range of secretory structures observed in previous studies are not fully understood. Thus, the goal of this study is to characterize and compare the occurrence and morphology of these glands in leaflets of species of the Adesmia clade. In addition, secretory structures were showed in a phylogenetic context in members of the Adesmia clade. The mature subterminal leaflets of 81 taxa, 79 from the Adesmia clade and two species of the Pterocarpus clade, were sampled from herbaria and living specimens. All genera of the Adesmia clade shared the presence of secretory, mucilaginous idioblasts in the epidermis of their leaflets. Genera of the clade inhabit dry environments, including open areas and highland grasslands (e.g., Savanna, Patagonian steppe, and the Andes). The presence of mucilage in the epidermis of these genera might be an adaptation to reduce water loss through transpiration, providing a hydrophilic interface between the leaflet surface and the environment, protecting plants from intensive radiation. Phenolic idioblasts were found in the mesophyll of Amicia and Zornia. Secretory cavities were observed in Amicia, Poiretia and Zornia. The occurrence of secretory cavities only in these three phylogenetically closely related genera is considered a synapomorphic character as shown by our character reconstruction analysis. The presence of secretory idioblasts is a unifying characteristic of all genera of the Adesmia clade.

该Dalbergioid Adesmia分支包括Adesmia DC，Amicia Kunth，Nissolia黄灯笼，Poiretia通风，并Zornia JF Gmel，所有主要南美属除了Zornia具有泛热带分布。这些分类单元与植物的某些部位（例如茎，小叶）上存在的腺体有灌木或草本习性。但是，在以前的研究中观察到的所有分泌结构的进化关系尚不完全清楚。因此，本研究的目的是表征和比较在Adesmia进化枝物种的传单中这些腺体的发生和形态。另外，在系统发育背景下在Adesmia进化枝的成员中显示出分泌结构。从草本植物和活体标本中取样了81个分类单元的成熟亚末端小叶，其中79个来自Adesmia进化枝，而2个紫檀进化枝。Adesmia进化枝的所有属在其小叶的表皮中都存在分泌性黏液成纤维细胞。进化枝属生活在干燥的环境中，包括开阔地带和高原草原（例如，稀树草原，巴塔哥尼亚草原和安第斯山脉）。这些属的表皮中的粘液的存在可能是通过蒸腾减少水分流失，在小叶表面和环境之间提供亲水界面，保护植物免受强辐射的适应。在叶肉的叶肉中发现酚类成纤维细胞。Amicia和Zornia。在Amicia，Poiretia和Zornia中观察到分泌腔。如我们的性格重建分析所示，仅在这三个系统发育上密切相关的属中才出现分泌空洞。分泌性成纤维细胞的存在是阿德斯米亚进化枝所有属的统一特征。