Peltophorum (Vogel) Benth., J. Bot. (Hooker) 2(10): 75. 1840

Bruneau, Anne, de Queiroz, Luciano Paganucci, Ringelberg, Jens J., Borges, Leonardo M., Bortoluzzi, Roseli Lopes da Costa, Brown, Gillian K., Cardoso, Domingos B. O. S., Clark, Ruth P., Conceicao, Adilva de Souza, Cota, Matheus Martins Teixeira, Demeulenaere, Else, de Stefano, Rodrigo Duno, Ebinger, John E., Ferm, Julia, Fonseca-Cortes, Andres, Gagnon, Edeline, Grether, Rosaura, Guerra, Ethiene, Haston, Elspeth, Herendeen, Patrick S., Hernandez, Hector M., Hopkins, Helen C. F., Huamantupa-Chuquimaco, Isau, Hughes, Colin E., Ickert-Bond, Stefanie M., Iganci, Joao, Koenen, Erik J. M., Lewis, Gwilym P., de Lima, Haroldo Cavalcante, de Lima, Alexandre Gibau, Luckow, Melissa, Marazzi, Brigitte, Maslin, Bruce R., Morales, Matias, Morim, Marli Pires, Murphy, Daniel J., O'Donnell, Shawn A., Oliveira, Filipe Gomes, Oliveira, Ana Carla da Silva, Rando, Juliana Gastaldello, Ribeiro, Petala Gomes, Ribeiro, Carolina Lima, Santos, Felipe da Silva, Seigler, David S., da Silva, Guilherme Sousa, Simon, Marcelo F., Soares, Marcos Vinicius Batista & Terra, Vanessa, 2024, Advances in Legume Systematics 14. Classification of Caesalpinioideae. Part 2: Higher-level classification, PhytoKeys 240, pp. 1-552 : 1

Peltophorum (Vogel) Benth., J. Bot. (Hooker) 2(10): 75. 1840 nom. cons.

Figs 67 , 68 , 70 , 72

Baryxylum Lour., Fl. Cochinch. 1: 266-267. 1790, nom rej. against Peltophorum (Vogel) Benth. Type: Baryxylum rufum Lour. [= Peltophorum dasyrhachis (Miq.) Kurz var. dasyrhachis ]

Caesalpinia sect. Peltophorum Vogel, Linnaea 11(3): 406. 1837. Type: Caesalpinia dubia Spreng. [≡ Peltophorum dubium (Spreng.) Taub.]

Type.

Peltophorum vogelianum Walpers, nom. illeg. [= Peltophorum dubium (Spreng.) Taub.]

Description.

Unarmed trees (Fig. 67D ), 15-35 (60) m, and up to 80 (100) cm stem diameter, sometimes buttressed, the buttresses flat to 1 m, whole plant frequently with a rusty indumentum. Stipules simple, lobed or subulately branched, pinnatafid or bipinnatafid, often persistent, or small and caducous. Leaves bipinnate, rachis to 40 cm, 3-15 (25) pairs of pinnae, (6) 8-15 (28) pairs of sessile opposite oblong leaflets per pinna. Inflorescences terminal and/or axillary, simple racemes or panicles, 15-30 (40) cm long; bracts present, persistent or caducous. Flowers bisexual, showy; hypanthium very short, discoid or campanulate and somewhat obscure; sepals 5, free, imbricate in bud, reflexed at anthesis; petals 5, usually bright yellow, rarely pink or white, suborbicular or obovate, more or less equal, imbricate, spreading, often much crinkled, margins sometimes erose, basally clawed (Fig. 68B ); stamens 10, free, filaments thickened and pilose at least towards the base, usually shorter than the petals, anthers uniform, dorsifixed, glabrous or pubescent, longitudinally dehiscent; pollen in oblate tricolporate monads with coarsely reticulate surface ornamentation with sinuous, slightly convoluted muri; ovary sessile or sub-stipitate, 3-8-ovuled, style filiform, incurved, stigma prominent peltate or capitate. Fruits flat, oblong or narrow ellipsoid, tapering at both ends, hard, indehiscent, or eventually splitting longitudinally, often persistent, with a firm wing-like extension on each suture, valves usually longitudinally striate, 1-6 (8)-seeded (Fig. 70C, D ). Seeds oblong, flat or lenticular, compressed, exalbuminous.

Chromosome number.

2 n = 26 ( Van-Lume and Souza 2018).

Included species and geographic distribution.

Six (or seven) species. One (or two) in the Neotropics, one in southern Africa, four in South East Asia, one of which, P. pterocarpum (DC.) Backer ex K. Heyne, reaching N Australia (Fig. 72 ). Three species ( P. dasyrhachis , P. dubium and P. pterocarpum ) have been introduced more widely.

Ecology.

In lowland deciduous and evergreen moist forests, coastal vegetation along beaches and mangrove edges, frequent in forest clearings and secondary vegetation. Evergreen or often deciduous. Flowering often immediately preceding leaf flush, indehiscent narrowly-winged fruits probably wind-dispersed. Some introduced and cultivated species weakly naturalised in places, the true native distribution of P. dubium in some doubt in some parts of the Neotropics, e.g., in Bolivia ( Barneby 1996).

Etymology.

From Greek, pelte - (= shield) and - phoros (= bearing), in reference to the large peltate shield-like centrally-attached stigma.

Human uses.

Several species are introduced and cultivated as ornamentals (Fig. 67D ) and as shade trees over coffee and cacao, including Asian P. pterocarpum and P. dasyrhachis Kurz ex Baker in Africa, P. africanum Sond. beyond its range limits within Africa and in the New World, e.g., Florida, and P. dubium (Spreng.) Taub. across the Americas.

Notes.

The genus Peltophorum resembles Schizolobium in potentially gigantic stature, abruptly bipinnate leaves, massive terminal racemose-paniculate inflorescence of handsome yellow flowers, and almost equal calyx-lobes, but differs in the grossly peltate stigma which Peltophorum shares with Bussea which is its sister genus (Fig. 66 ), and its linear-ellipsoid, as opposed to oblanceolate, spoon-shaped fruits (Fig. 70A-D ). Two species have been recognised in the Neotropics, but these are doubtfully distinct.

Taxonomic references.

Barneby (1996); Brenan (1967); Hou (1996b) including an illustration; Isely (1975); Larsen et al. (1980) including an illustration.

Figures

Figure 66. Generic relationships in tribe Schizolobieae. For description of phylogeny and support values, see Fig. 6 caption (page 63).

Figure 67. Variation in tree form and bark among genera of tribe Schizolobieae A, B Schizolobium amazonicum Huber ex Ducke, tree to 20 m, Veracruz, Mexico (Hughes 1880) C young sapling of Schizolobium amazonicum showing typical ' tree fern habit' with large leaves and green bark D Peltophorum dubium (Spreng.) Taub., cultivated as an ornamental, central plaza in Saipina, Santa Cruz, Bolivia (Hughes 2461) E bark of Peltophorum africanum Sond. F Parkinsonia peruviana C. E. Hughes, Daza & Hawkins, small tree in dry thorn scrub in the upper Maranon valley, Peru (Hughes 2213) G green shoot and axillary thorns, Parkinsonia andicola (Griseb.) Varjao & Mansano, Chuquisaca, Bolivia (Hughes 2313) H green bark of Parkinsonia praecox (Ruiz & Pavon ex Hook.) Hawkins, Oaxaca, Mexico (Hughes 1298) I tree of Parkinsonia africana Sond., South Africa J, K small tree of Heteroflorum sclerocarpum M. Sousa showing typical low forked branching habit, spreading crown and pale metallic grey bark with storied protuberences, Guerrero, Mexico (Hughes 1845) L, M Conzattia multiflora Standl., showing typical umbrella crown habit and pale grey metallic bark in succulent-rich seasonally dry forest, Puebla, Mexico (Hughes 1824) N small tree of Colvillea racemosa Bojer, Madagascar (Du Puy 102) O bottle tree of Delonix floribunda (Baill.) Capuron, south-western Madagascar (Bruneau 1405) P twisted and stunted growth form of Delonix pumila Du Puy, Phillipson & R. Rabev. in south-western Madagascar (Du Puy 456) Q small tree of Delonix regia (Bojer) Raf. with a spreading crown, flowering preceding or coinciding with leaf flush, N Madagascar (Du Puy 578). Photo credits A, B, D, F, G, H, J, K, L, M CE Hughes C A Bayer Tamayo File: Tambor (Schizolobium parahyba) (14101065740). jpg - Wikimedia Commons E W Coville (https: // plantnet. org /) I Wi Boshoff http: // hdl. handle. net / 11660 / 5647 N, P, Q D Du Puy O A Bruneau.

Figure 68. Flowers of tribe Schizolobieae A Schizolobium amazonicum Huber ex Ducke, Veracruz, Mexico (Hughes 1880) B Peltophorum dubium (Spreng.) Taub., Santa Cruz, Bolivia (Hughes 2461) C Bussea perrieri R. Vig., western Madagascar D Parkinsonia aculeata L., Zacapa, Guatemala (Hughes 1222) E Parkinsonia florida (Benth. ex A. Gray) S. Watson, Sonora, Mexico (Hughes 1562) F Conzattia multiflora Standl., Puebla, Mexico (Hughes 931) G Colvillea racemosa Bojer, south-western Madagascar (Bruneau 1403) H Delonix regia (Bojer) Raf., northern Madagascar (Du Puy 578) I Delonix leucantha subsp. gracilis Du Puy, Phillipson & R. Rabev., Madagascar (Du Puy 87). Photo credits A, B, D-F CE Hughes C feno, iNaturalist (https: // www. inaturalist. org / photos / 103942022) G A Bruneau H, I D Du Puy.

Figure 70. Fruits of tribe Schizolobieae A, B dehisced fruits of Schizolobium amazonicum Huber ex Ducke showing the papery endocarp surrounding the single seed, Veracruz, Mexico (Hughes 1880) C Peltophorum dubium (Spreng.) Taub., Chiapas, Mexico (Hughes 1685) D Peltophorum pterocarpum (DC.) Backer ex K. Heyne, India E Bussea sakalava Du Puy & R. Rabev., Madagascar (Du Puy 248) F dehisced fruit of Bussea perrieri R. Vig., north-west Madagascar G ripe, tardily dehiscent fruits of Parkinsonia andicola (Griseb.) Varjao & Mansano, Chuquisaca, Bolivia (Hughes 2619) H Parkinsonia florida (Benth. ex A. Gray) S. Watson, Sonora, Mexico (Hughes 1562) I ripe indehiscent fruits of Parkinsonia peruviana C. E. Hughes, Daza & Hawkins, La Libertad, Peru (Eastwood 82) J Conzattia multiflora Standl., Puebla, Mexico (Hughes 1815) K-M indehiscent ripe fruits of Heteroflorum sclerocarpum M. Sousa, Guerrero, Mexico (Hughes 1845) L Heteroflorum sclerocarpum Guerrero, Mexico (Hughes 1845) showing a legume that has been broken apart manually N Delonix boiviniana (Baill.) Capuron, Madagascar (D Du Puy 301) O Delonix edule (H. Perrier) Babineau & Bruneau, ripe fruits, Madagascar (Du Puy 449) P Colvillea racemosa Bojer, ripe dehiscing fruits, Madagascar (Du Puy 304). Photo credits A-C, G-M CE Hughes D D Valke File: Peltophorum pterocarpum (2745008096). jpg - Wikimedia Commons E, N-P D Du Puy F Andry. A. R, iNaturalist (https: // www. inaturalist. org / photos / 28896062).

Figure 72. Distribution of Peltophorum based on quality-controlled digitised herbarium records. See Suppl. material 1 for the source of occurrence data.