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Issue: Vol. 742 No. 3: 24 Feb. 2026
Type: Article
Published: 2026-02-24
DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.742.3.2
Page range: 193-207
Abstract views: 75
PDF downloaded: 11

The shining tree of the dry corridors: a revision of Pterogyne Tul. (Fabaceae: Caesalpinioideae)

Instituto de Pesquisas Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro, DIPEQ. Rua Pacheco Leão 915, Jardim Botânico, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 22460–030, Brazil
Instituto de Pesquisas Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro, DIPEQ. Rua Pacheco Leão 915, Jardim Botânico, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 22460–030, Brazil; Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, IBRAG-DBV. Rua São Francisco Xavier, 524, Maracanã, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 20550-900, Brazil
Instituto de Pesquisas Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro, DIPEQ. Rua Pacheco Leão 915, Jardim Botânico, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 22460–030, Brazil
Leguminoseae Neotropical Flora Pterogyne nitens Systematics Tropical Dry Forests Eudicots

Abstract

Pterogyne (Fabaceae) is a monospecific genus of trees native to South America. Its sole species, P. nitens, was described by Tulasne in 1843, in reference to its winged fruit and shiny leaflets, with no subsequent taxonomic studies published since. The species is distributed across the Caatinga, semideciduous Atlantic Forest and Gran Chaco, where it favors drier climates and is commonly found in second-growth forests. These trees can reach over 35 m tall and are characterized by leaves ranging from paripinnate to imparipinnate, adaxially glossy leaflets, and axillary fascicles of racemes bearing numerous small, pentamerous, yellow flowers. The fruit is a brown samara with a single well-developed wing. Given the lack of taxonomic studies and the intense morphological plasticity of the genus varying in number, shape and size of leaflets, types of inflorescences, and fruit shapes and sizes, we refined the taxonomic circumscription and describe the phenotypical plasticity of Pterogyne, based on fieldwork in Brazil and analysis of 462 herbarium specimens. Our data, drawn from ecological, geographical, and morphological evidence, support the genus as monospecific and include a more complete description with newly documented morphological traits, as well as preliminary conservation assessment of Least Concern (LC). Notable findings include the andromonoecious inflorescences—a rare condition in Fabaceae—and a correlation between pubescence density and wetter climates, which may suggest an ongoing speciation process. We provided a detailed description of the genus, along with an illustration, photographs, distribution maps, and a nomenclatural treatment that includes a lectotypification, accompanied by a discussion of all new data gathered in this study.

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How to Cite

Oliveira, G.L.D.A., Falcão, M.J.D.A. & Mansano, V.D.F. (2026) The shining tree of the dry corridors: a revision of Pterogyne Tul. (Fabaceae: Caesalpinioideae). Phytotaxa 742 (3): 193–207. https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.742.3.2