Dipteryx

Dipteryx
Baru Tree (Dipteryx alata)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Rosids
Order:	Fabales
Family:	Fabaceae
Subfamily:	Faboideae
Tribe:	Dipterygeae
Genus:	Dipteryx Schreb.
Species
See text.

Dipteryx is a genus containing nine species of shrubs and trees. It belongs to the "papillionoid" subfamily – Faboideae – of the legume family (Fabaceae). This genus is native to South and Central America and the Caribbean. Formerly, the related genus Taralea was included in Dipteryx.

The largest members of Dipteryx are canopy-emergent tree of tropical rainforests. The Tonka Bean (C. odorata) is grown for its fragrant seeds. Baru (Dipteryx alata) is a Vulnerable species from the Cerrado of Brazil; its fruit and seeds are used as food and fodder. Several species are used for timber.

Species

The species of Dipteryx are:^[1]

• Dipteryx alata – Baru
• Dipteryx lacunifera Ducke
• Dipteryx magnifica (Ducke) Ducke
• Dipteryx micrantha Harms (= D. ferrea)
• Dipteryx odorata – Tonka Bean
• Dipteryx oleifera Benth. (= D. panamensis)
• Dipteryx polyphylla Huber
• Dipteryx punctata (S.F.Blake) Amshoff (= D. trifoliolata)
• Dipteryx rosea Benth. (= D. charapilla)

Footnotes

1. ^ ILDIS (2005)

References

• International Legume Database & Information Service (ILDIS) (2005): Genus Dipteryx. Version 10.01, November 2005. Retrieved 2010-JAN-06.