The Mimosoideae are a traditional subfamily of trees, herbs, lianas, and shrubs in the pea family (Fabaceae) that mostly grow in tropical and subtropical climates. They are typically characterized by having radially symmetric flowers, with petals that are twice divided (valvate) in bud and with numerous showy, prominent stamens.
The Fabaceae or Leguminosae, commonly known as the legume, pea, or bean family, are a large and agriculturally important family of flowering plants. It includes trees, shrubs, and perennial or annual herbaceous plants, which are easily recognized by their fruit (legume) and their compound, stipulate leaves. The family is widely distributed, and is the third-largest land plant family in number of species, behind only the Orchidaceae and Asteraceae, with about 765 genera and nearly 20,000 known species.
Caesalpinioideae is a botanical name at the rank of subfamily, placed in the large family Fabaceae or Leguminosae. Its name is formed from the generic name Caesalpinia. It is known also as the peacock flower subfamily. The Caesalpinioideae are mainly trees distributed in the moist tropics, but include such temperate species as the honeylocust and Kentucky coffeetree. It has the following clade-based definition:
The most inclusive crown clade containing Arcoa gonavensisUrb. and Mimosa pudicaL., but not Bobgunnia fistuloides(Harms) J. H. Kirkbr. & Wiersema, Duparquetia orchidaceaBaill., or Poeppigia proceraC.Presl
Bauhinia is a large genus of flowering plants in the subfamily Cercidoideae and tribe Bauhinieae, in the large flowering plant family Fabaceae, with a pantropical distribution. The genus was named after the Bauhin brothers Gaspard and Johann, Swiss-French botanists.
Dipteryx is a genus containing a number of species of large trees and possibly shrubs. It belongs to the "papilionoid" subfamily – Faboideae – of the family Fabaceae. This genus is native to South and Central America and the Caribbean. Formerly, the related genus Taralea was included in Dipteryx.
Peltogyne, commonly known as purpleheart, violet wood, amaranth and other local names is a genus of 23 species of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae; native to tropical rainforests of Central and South America; from Guerrero, Mexico, through Central America, and as far as south-eastern Brazil.
Parkia is a genus of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae. It belongs to the mimosoid clade of the subfamily Caesalpinioideae. Several species are known as African locust bean.
Dimorphandra is a genus of legume in the family Fabaceae, subfamily Caesalpinioideae. It includes 26 species native to northern South America, ranging from Colombia and Venezuela to Bolivia, Paraguay, and southeastern Brazil.
Koompassia is a genus of legume in the family Fabaceae. It includes three species with range across southeast Asia, from Thailand to New Guinea. It belongs to the subfamily Dialioideae. They are tall tropical forest trees; K. excelsa is one of the tallest tree species in the tropics.
Macrosamanea is a genus of flowering plant in the legume family, Fabaceae. It includes 11 species of trees and shrubs native to northern South America. The genus is most diverse and numerous in the Amazon Basin, extending into the Orinoco basin and the Guianas. Typical habitat is tropical rain forest, mostly riparian and seasonally-flooded. Two species are native to seasonally-inundated wooded grassland (savanna) on sandy soils. The genus belongs to the mimosoid clade of the subfamily Caesalpinioideae.
Zygia is a genus of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae. It includes 60 species of tres and shrubs native to the tropical Americas, from Southern Mexico and Cuba to northern Argentina. Typical habitats are tropical forest and coastal zones, generally below 900 meters elevation with a few species extending up to 2800 meters. It belongs to the mimosoid clade of the subfamily Caesalpinioideae.
Enterolobium is a genus of 12 species of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae, native to tropical and warm-temperate regions of the Americas. They are medium-sized to large trees.
Recordoxylon is a genus of flowering plants in the legume family, Fabaceae. It includes three species of trees native to the tropical Amazon rainforest of northern South America, and the species' range includes northern Brazil, Colombia, French Guiana, Guyana, and Venezuela. Habitats include non-flooded rain forest on terra firme, seasonally-flooded riverine forest (várzea), and montane forest.
Eperua is a genus of flowering plants in the legume family, Fabaceae. It belongs to subfamily Detarioideae. It includes 16 species native to northern South America, in Colombia, Venezuela, the Guianas, and northern Brazil. They live in the jungles, often along rivers or streams. The leaves are compound pinnate, with smooth margins, and the fruits are long pods. The wood of E. falcata is called wallaba and is often used in construction.
Havardia is a genus of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae. It belongs to the mimosoid clade of the subfamily Caesalpinioideae. It includes five species of trees native to the Americas, ranging from Texas and northern Mexico through Central America to Colombia and Venezuela. Typical habitats include warm-temperate and tropical seasonally-dry woodland, wooded grassland, and desert thorn scrub, typically below 450 meters elevation.
Dinizia is a genus of flowering plants in the legume family, Fabaceae. It was believed to be monotypic until 2017, when Dinizia jueirana-facao was described. Dinizia is native to Brazil, Guyana and Suriname. Both species are colossal forest trees.
Parapiptadenia is a genus of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae. It includes six species of trees and shrubs native to eastern and southern Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, and northern Argentina. Typical habitats include tropical coastal and dune forest (restinga), woodland, scrub, and secondary growth forest. It belongs to the mimosoid clade of the subfamily Caesalpinioideae.
Pityrocarpa is a genus of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae. It includes seven species of shrubs and small trees native to the tropical Americas, including western and southeastern Mexico, Guatemala and El Salvador, Venezuela and Guyana, Bolivia, and eastern Brazil. Native habitats include tropical coastal rain forest, gallery forest, secondary forest, woodland, wooded grassland (Cerrado), and thorn scrub (Caatinga). It belongs to the mimosoid clade of the subfamily Caesalpinioideae.
Dinizia excelsa is a South American canopy-emergent tropical rainforest tree species in the family Fabaceae, native to primarily Brazil and Guyana. In Portuguese it is known as angelim-vermelho, angelim, angelim-pedra, and paricá, or sometimes angelim-falso, faveira, faveira-dura, faveira-ferro or faveiro-do-grande. In Trio it is called awaraimë. In Wapisiana it is called parakwa.
Mora megistosperma also called Mora oleifera is a species of rainforest tree in the Bean Family (Leguminosae, or Fabaceae and in the Cassia subfamily Caesalpinioideae. It is commonly called Mora or Mangle Nato It is found in Costa Rica, Panama Colombia and Ecuador. It grows 147 feet in height and up to thirteen feet diameter at breast height. It is most noted for producing the largest seeds of any Dicot plant ; and up to 7 inches long by six inches wide, and up to four inches thick. and can weigh up to 2.2 pounds. and is exceeded only by Lodoicea and Cocos nucifera var. gigantea. The white flowers are in little spikes about five inches long. The leaves are paripinnate with just two pairs of ovate or oblong leaflets, each leaflet up to seven inches long.
