Pithecellobium
Encyclopedia
Pithecellobium is a genus
of flowering plant
s in the pea
family
, Fabaceae
. The generic name is derived from the Greek
words πιθηκος (pithekos), meaning "ape" or "monkey," and ελλοβιον (ellobion), meaning "earring," which refers to the coiled shape of the seedpods.
Delimitation to the closely related Albizia
is a matter of dispute, and species were (and still are) being moved from one genus to the other times and again. In addition, most species of Abarema
were at one time or another placed in Pithecellobium.
While most species
once placed herein are in fact now in Albizia or other Ingeae genera, the following are retained in Pithecellobium:
Some species formerly in Pithecellobium are:
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 pea
Pea
A pea is most commonly the small spherical seed or the seed-pod of the pod fruit Pisum sativum. Each pod contains several peas. Peapods are botanically a fruit, since they contain seeds developed from the ovary of a flower. However, peas are considered to be a vegetable in cooking...
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...
. The generic name is derived from the Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
words πιθηκος (pithekos), meaning "ape" or "monkey," and ελλοβιον (ellobion), meaning "earring," which refers to the coiled shape of the seedpods.
Delimitation to the closely related Albizia
Albizia
Albizia is a genus of about 150 species of mostly fast-growing subtropical and tropical trees and shrubs in the subfamily Mimosoideae of the legume family, Fabaceae. The genus is pantropical, occurring in Asia, Africa, Madagascar, Central, South, and southern North America and Australia, but mostly...
is a matter of dispute, and species were (and still are) being moved from one genus to the other times and again. In addition, most species of Abarema
Abarema
Abarema is a neotropical genus of large trees in the legume family . They grow from Mexico to Bolivia. Most of the species can be found in the Amazon Basin and the Guyana Highlands. They have a deep-green fernlike foliage, with bipinnately compound leaves...
were at one time or another placed in Pithecellobium.
Current 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...
once placed herein are in fact now in Albizia or other Ingeae genera, the following are retained in Pithecellobium:
- Pithecellobium albicaule Britton & Rose
- Pithecellobium bahamense Northr.
- Pithecellobium bertolonii Benth.
- Pithecellobium bifoliolatum
- Pithecellobium bipinnatum L.Rico
- Pithecellobium brownii Standl.Paul Carpenter StandleyPaul Carpenter Standley was an American botanist.Standley was born in Avalon, Missouri...
- Pithecellobium circinale (L.) Benth.
- Pithecellobium concinnum Pittier
- Pithecellobium cynodonticum Barneby & J.W.Grimes
- Pithecellobium discolor Britton
- Pithecellobium dulcePithecellobium dulcePithecellobium dulce is a species of flowering plant in the pea family, Fabaceae, that is native to Mexico, Central America, and northern South America. It is introduced and extensively naturalised in the Caribbean, Florida, Guam and Southeast Asia. It is considered an invasive species in Hawaii.It...
(Roxb.) Benth. – Guamúchil (MexicoMexicoThe United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, Central AmericaCentral AmericaCentral America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
, northern South AmericaSouth AmericaSouth America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
) - Pithecellobium excelsum (Kunth) Mart.
- Pithecellobium filipes (Vent.) Benth.
- Pithecellobium furcatum Benth.
- Pithecellobium histrix (A.Rich.) Benth.
- Pithecellobium hymenaeafolium (Willd.) Benth
- Pithecellobium insigne Micheli
- Pithecellobium johanseniiPithecellobium johanseniiPithecellobium johansenii is a species of legume in the Fabaceae family.It is found in Belize, Guatemala, and Honduras.-References:* Nelson, C. 1998. . Downloaded on 19 July 2007....
Standl. (BelizeBelizeBelize is a constitutional monarchy and the northernmost country in Central America. Belize has a diverse society, comprising many cultures and languages. Even though Kriol and Spanish are spoken among the population, Belize is the only country in Central America where English is the official...
, GuatemalaGuatemalaGuatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
, HondurasHondurasHonduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...
) - Pithecellobium keyense Coker
- Pithecellobium lanceolatum (Willd.) Benth.
- Pithecellobium oblongum Benth.
- Pithecellobium pachypus Pittier
- Pithecellobium peckii S.F.Blake
- Pithecellobium platycarpum Merr.
- Pithecellobium seleriPithecellobium seleriPithecellobium seleri is a species of legume in the Fabaceae family.It is found in Guatemala and Honduras.-References:* Nelson, C. 1998. . Downloaded on 19 July 2007....
Harms (Guatemala, Honduras) - Pithecellobium tenue Craib
- Pithecellobium unguis-cati (L.) Benth.
- Pithecellobium vietnamense I.C.Nielsen
Status pending review
The following species are tentatively placed here; there is doubt whether they really belong in ths genus, or even whether they are valid taxa:- Pithecellobium benthamianum Miq.
- Pithecellobium bijugatum Schery
- Pithecellobium caesalpinioides Standl.
- Pithecellobium campechense Lundell
- Pithecellobium candidum (Kunth) Benth.
- Pithecellobium cordifolium Morong & Britton
- Pithecellobium decandrumPithecellobium decandrumPithecellobium decandrum is a species of legume in the Fabaceae family. It is sometimes placed in the genus Albizia, and indeed its generic affiliation is not firmly established.It is found only in Brazil....
Ducke (BrazilBrazilBrazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
) - Pithecellobium diversifolium Benth.
- Pithecellobium domingense Alain
- Pithecellobium elegans Ducke
- Pithecellobium flavovirens Britton
- Pithecellobium glaucescens Pittier
- Pithecellobium guaraniticum Chodat & Hassl.
- Pithecellobium guaricense Pittier
- Pithecellobium guatemalense (Record) Standl.
- Pithecellobium gummiferum Mart.
- Pithecellobium halogenes Standl.
- Pithecellobium laetum (Poepp.) Benth.
- Pithecellobium larensis Cardenas
- Pithecellobium leucosericeum A.R.Molina
- Pithecellobium longipendulum Forero & A.H.Gentry
- Pithecellobium macrandrium Donn.Sm.
- Pithecellobium maestrense Urb.
- Pithecellobium mataybifolium Sandwith
- Pithecellobium micradenium Benth.
- Pithecellobium microchlamys Pittier
- Pithecellobium mucronatum Coker
- Pithecellobium nicoyanum (Britton & Rose) Niezgoda & Nevling
- Pithecellobium pistaciifolium Standl.
- Pithecellobium salutare Benth.
- Pithecellobium spinulosum Pittier
- Pithecellobium steyermarkii Schery
- Pithecellobium striolatum Urb.
- Pithecellobium velutinum Britton & Rose
Formerly placed here
- See also List of Albizia species and AbaremaAbaremaAbarema is a neotropical genus of large trees in the legume family . They grow from Mexico to Bolivia. Most of the species can be found in the Amazon Basin and the Guyana Highlands. They have a deep-green fernlike foliage, with bipinnately compound leaves...
.
Some species formerly in Pithecellobium are:
- Archidendron bigeminumArchidendron bigeminumArchidendron bigeminum is a tree species in the legume family . It is found in India and Sri Lanka.The World Conservation Monitoring Centre in the 1998 IUCN Redlist reviewed Abarema bigemina and Pithecellobium gracile as Vulnerable species. These are nowadays both considered junior synonyms of...
(as Pithecellobium bigeminum, P. gracile, P. nicobaricum) - Chloroleucon foliolosumChloroleucon foliolosumChloroleucon foliolosum is a tree species in the legume family . It is found in Argentina and Bolivia.It is threatened by habitat destruction.Junior synonyms are:* Calliandra aristulata Rizzini...
(as Pithecellobium foliolosum, P. grisebachianum, P. myriophyllum Malme, P. oligandrum) - Pseudosamanea cubanaPseudosamanea cubanaPseudosamanea cubana is a tree species in the legume family . It is found only in Cuba.Presently, this is the only member of the genus Pseudosamanea. Pseudosamanea guachapele is a junior synonym of Albizia guachapele....
(as Pithecellobium bacona) - Zygia cognataZygia cognataZygia cognata is a tree species in the legume family . It is found in Belize, Guatemala, and Honduras.Junior synonyms are:* Feuilleea cognata Kuntze* Inga cognata Schltdl.* Inga stevensonii Standl....
(as Pithecellobium cognatum, P. stevensonii) - Zygia pithecolobioidesZygia pithecolobioidesPithecellobium pithecolobioides, known as Granadillo de Río, is a tree species in the legume family .Found in Argentina and Paraguay, it is threatened by habitat destruction; whether it still exists in Brazil is at least doubtful....
(Granadillo de Rio; as Pithecellobium pithecolobioides, P. reductum)