Pterolobium R. Br. ex Wight & Arn., Prodr: 283. 1834 nom. cons.

Figs 35, 37, 63

Cantuffa J.F. Gmel., Syst. Nat., ed 13[bis]. 2(1): 677. 1791, nom. rej. vs. Pterolobium R. Br. ex Wight & Arn. Type: Cantuffa exosa J.F. Gmel. [≡ Pterolobium exosum (J.F. Gmel.) Baker f. (= Pterolobium stellatum (Forssk.) Brenan)]

Reichardia Roth, Nov. Pl. Sp.: 210. 1821, nom. illeg., non Roth, Bot. Abh. Beobacht. 35. 1787, nec Roth, Catal. Bot. 2: 64. 1800. Lectotype: Reichardia hexapetala Roth [≡ Pterolobium hexapetalum (Roth) Santapau & Wagh]

Type.

Pterolobium lacerans R. Br. ex Wight & Arn., nom. illeg. [ Pterolobium exosum (J.F. Gmel.) Baker f. [≡ Cantuffa exosa J.F. Gmel. (= Pterolobium stellatum (Forssk.) Brenan)]

Description.

Lianas or scrambling / trailing shrubs, armed with prickles. Stipules small, inconspicuous, subulate to triangular-subulate, caducous. Leaves bipinnate; pinnae in 5-20 opposite pairs; leaflets in 6-25 opposite pairs per pinna. Inflorescence a terminal or axillary raceme, often aggregated into panicles. Flowers bisexual, sub-actinomorphic to zygomorphic; hypanthium persisting as a minute cup or ridge at the pedicel apex as the fruit matures; sepals 5, caducous, the lower sepal cucullate, covering the other 4 sepals in bud; petals 5, free, yellow to white, equal to slightly differentiated, the median petal sometimes in-rolled; stamens 10, free, filaments pubescent (occasionally glabrous); ovary pubescent. Fruit a red to brown samara, 1 (2)-seeded. Seeds ovate-oblong, sub-compressed.

Chromosome number.

2 n = 24 ( P. stellatum) (Rice et al. 2015).

Included species and geographic distribution.

Ten species; one in southern tropical Africa, East Africa, and Arabia, nine in South East Asia (Fig. 63).

Ecology.

Seasonally dry tropical upland evergreen forests, riverine and humid forests, woodlands, and wooded grasslands.

Etymology.

From Greek, ptero - (= wing) and lobion (= fruit), in reference to the fruit which resembles a samara.

Human uses.

The leaves of P. stellatum are used in parts of Africa as a leather dye, for ink and as medicine; plants are grown as living fences (Lewis 2005b).

Notes.

Vidal and Hul Thol (1974) published a revision of Pterolobium, with a key to species.

Taxonomic references.

Brenan (1967); Chen et al. (2010b); Gagnon et al. (2016); Hou (1996c); Hul Thol and Hideux (1977); Lewis (2005b); Roti-Michelozzi (1957); Vidal and Hul Thol (1974, 1976).