Parkia is a genus

Genus

In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...

 of flowering plant

Flowering plant

The flowering plants , also known as Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta, are the most diverse group of land plants. Angiosperms are seed-producing plants like the gymnosperms and can be distinguished from the gymnosperms by a series of synapomorphies...

s in the legume  family

Family (biology)

In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...

, Fabaceae

Fabaceae

The Fabaceae or Leguminosae, commonly known as the legume, pea, or bean family, is a large and economically important family of flowering plants. The group is the third largest land plant family, behind only the Orchidaceae and Asteraceae, with 730 genera and over 19,400 species...

. It belongs to the subfamily Mimosoideae

Mimosoideae

Mimosoideae is a subfamily of the flowering plant family Fabaceae characterized by flowers with small petals and numerous prominent stamens...

.

In 1995, about 31 species

Species

In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...

 were known. Four more have been discovered since that time. The type species

Type species

In biological nomenclature, a type species is both a concept and a practical system which is used in the classification and nomenclature of animals and plants. The value of a "type species" lies in the fact that it makes clear what is meant by a particular genus name. A type species is the species...

 for the genus is Parkia biglobosa

Parkia biglobosa

Parkia biglobosa or Néré is a tree of the genus Parkia in the family Fabaceae. In West Africa, its fruits are fermented to a condiment called "soumbala" or "dawa-dawa"....

.

Parkias are found thruout the tropics

Tropics

The tropics is a region of the Earth surrounding the Equator. It is limited in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the northern hemisphere at approximately  N and the Tropic of Capricorn in the southern hemisphere at  S; these latitudes correspond to the axial tilt of the Earth...

, with four species in Africa

Africa

Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...

, about 10 in Asia

Asia

Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...

, and about twenty in the neotropics. The neotropical species were revised in 1986.

Species

• Parkia barnebyana
• Parkia bicolor
• Parkia biglobosa
  Parkia biglobosa
  Parkia biglobosa or Néré is a tree of the genus Parkia in the family Fabaceae. In West Africa, its fruits are fermented to a condiment called "soumbala" or "dawa-dawa"....
  
  - néré
• Parkia biglandulosa
• Parkia filicoidea
• Parkia javanica
  Parkia javanica
  Parkia javanica Lam., syn. Parkia roxburghii G. Don. is a plant of the genus Parkia in the family Fabaceae....
  
  
• Parkia lutea
• Parkia madagascariensis
• Parkia nana
• Parkia paya
• Parkia platycephala
• Parkia speciosa
  Parkia speciosa
  Parkia speciosa is a plant of the genus Parkia in the family Fabaceae...
  
  - petai, twisted cluster bean, stink bean
• Parkia timoriana - tree bean