''Andira'' is a genus of flowering plants in the

legume A legume () is a plant in the family Fabaceae (or Leguminosae), or the fruit or seed of such a plant. When used as a dry grain, the seed is also called a pulse. Legumes are grown agriculturally, primarily for human consumption, for livestock f ...

family,

Fabaceae The Fabaceae or Leguminosae,International Code of Nomenc ...

. It is distributed in the

tropical The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the Equator. They are defined in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the Northern Hemisphere at N and the Tropic of Capricorn in the Southern Hemisphere at S. The tropics are also referred to ...

Americas, except for ''A. inermis'', which also occurs in

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

. It was formerly assigned to the tribe

Dalbergieae The tribe Dalbergieae is an early-branching clade within the flowering plant subfamily Faboideae (or Papilionaceae). Within that subfamily, it belongs to an unranked clade called the dalbergioids. It was recently revised to include many genera ...

, but recent

molecular phylogenetic Molecular phylogenetics () is the branch of phylogeny that analyzes genetic, hereditary molecular differences, predominantly in DNA sequences, to gain information on an organism's evolutionary relationships. From these analyses, it is possible to ...

evidence has placed it in a unique clade named the ''Andira'' clade. Compared to other

Faboideae The Faboideae are a subfamily of the flowering plant family Fabaceae or Leguminosae. An acceptable alternative name for the subfamily is Papilionoideae, or Papilionaceae when this group of plants is treated as a family. This subfamily is wide ...

the genus has unusual systems of

root nodule Root nodules are found on the roots of plants, primarily legumes, that form a symbiosis with nitrogen-fixing bacteria. Under nitrogen-limiting conditions, capable plants form a symbiotic relationship with a host-specific strain of bacteria known a ...

s and fruits, which are

drupe In botany, a drupe (or stone fruit) is an indehiscent fruit in which an outer fleshy part (exocarp, or skin, and mesocarp, or flesh) surrounds a single shell (the ''pit'', ''stone'', or '' pyrena'') of hardened endocarp with a seed (''kernel'') ...

s. In most species the fruits are dispersed by

bat Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera.''cheir'', "hand" and πτερόν''pteron'', "wing". With their forelimbs adapted as wings, they are the only mammals capable of true and sustained flight. Bats are more agile in flight than most bi ...

s, and in some they are dispersed by

rodent Rodents (from Latin , 'to gnaw') are mammals of the order Rodentia (), which are characterized by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and lower jaws. About 40% of all mammal species are rodents. They are na ...

s. They may also be dispersed on water. Plants of the genus are used in

traditional medicine Traditional medicine (also known as indigenous medicine or folk medicine) comprises medical aspects of traditional knowledge that developed over generations within the folk beliefs of various societies, including indigenous peoples, before the ...

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

to treat

fever Fever, also referred to as pyrexia, is defined as having a body temperature, temperature above the human body temperature, normal range due to an increase in the body's temperature Human body temperature#Fever, set point. There is not a single ...

and as

purgatives Laxatives, purgatives, or aperients are substances that loosen stools and increase bowel movements. They are used to treat and prevent constipation. Laxatives vary as to how they work and the side effects they may have. Certain stimulant, lubri ...

and vermifuges. The treatments are toxic in high doses, however. Chemical compounds isolated from the genus include

isoflavones Isoflavones are substituted derivatives of isoflavone, a type of naturally occurring isoflavonoids, many of which act as phytoestrogens in mammals. Isoflavones are produced almost exclusively by the members of the bean family, Fabaceae (Leguminosae) ...

flavanols Flavan-3-ols (sometimes referred to as flavanols) are a subgroup of flavonoids. They are derivatives of flavans that possess a 2-phenyl-3,4-dihydro-2''H''-chromen-3-ol skeleton. Flavan-3-ols are structurally diverse and include a range of compo ...

glycoside In chemistry, a glycoside is a molecule in which a sugar is bound to another functional group via a glycosidic bond. Glycosides play numerous important roles in living organisms. Many plants store chemicals in the form of inactive glycosides. ...

pterocarpan Pterocarpans are derivatives of isoflavonoids found in the family Fabaceae. It is a group of compounds which can be described as benzo-pyrano-furano-benzenes (i.e. 6''H''- enzofuro ,2-chromene skeleton) which can be formed by coupling of the B rin ...

chromone Chromone (or 1,4-benzopyrone) is a derivative of benzopyran with a substituted keto group on the pyran ring. It is an isomer of coumarin. Derivatives of chromone are collectively known as ''chromones''. Most, though not all, chromones are also ...

, and

ursolic acid Ursolic acid (sometimes referred to as urson, prunol, malol, or 3β-hydroxyurs-12-en-28-oic acid), is a pentacyclic triterpenoid identified in the epicuticular waxes of apples as early as 1920 and widely found in the peels of fruits, as well ...

Species

''Andira'' comprises the following species: * '' Andira acuminata'' Benth. * '' Andira anthelmia'' (Vell.) J.F. Macbr. * '' Andira bahiensis'' N.F. Mattos * '' Andira carvalhoi'' R.T. Penn. & H.C. Lima * '' Andira cordata'' R.T. Penn. & H.C. Lima * '' Andira coriacea'' Pulle—St. Martin rouge * '' Andira cubensis'' Benth. * '' Andira cuiabensis'' Benth. * '' Andira fraxinifolia'' Benth. * '' Andira frondosa'' C. Mart. * '' Andira galeottiana'' Standl. * '' Andira grandistipula'' Amshoff * '' Andira handroana'' N.F. Mattos * ''

Andira humilis ''Andira humilis'' ( syn. ''Andira laurifolia'' Benth., ''Andira laurifolia'' Benth. var. ''laurifolia'', ''Andira pauciflora'' Benth., ''Andira paucuflora'' Benth.) is a tree native from Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Fede ...

'' Mart. ex Benth. * ''

Andira inermis ''Andira inermis'' is a nitrogen-fixing tree native to the area from southern Mexico through Central America to northern South America (Peru, Bolivia, and Brazil); it has been introduced to the Caribbean, the Antilles, Florida, and Africa. Th ...

'' (Wright) DC.—angelin, cabbagebark, cabbagetree ** subsp. ''glabricalyx'' R. T. Penn. ** subsp. ''inermis'' (Wright) DC. ** subsp. ''rooseveltii'' (De Wild.) J. B. Gillett ex Polhill * '' Andira kuhlmannii'' N.F. Mattos * '' Andira landroana'' N.F. Mattos * '' Andira legalis'' (Vell.) Toledo * '' Andira macrothyrsa'' Ducke * '' Andira marauensis'' N.F. Mattos * '' Andira micans'' Taub. * '' Andira micrantha'' Ducke * '' Andira multistipula'' Ducke * '' Andira nitida'' Benth. * '' Andira ormosioides'' Benth. * '' Andira paniculata'' Benth. * '' Andira parviflora'' Ducke * '' Andira parvifolia'' Benth. * '' Andira pernambucensis'' N.F. Mattos * '' Andira pisonis'' Benth.Some sources treat ''Andira pisonis'' as a synonym of ''Andira fraxinifolia''. * '' Andira riparia'' Kunth * '' Andira rosea'' Benth. * '' Andira sapindoides'' (DC.) Benth. * '' Andira skolemora'' H. Kost. * '' Andira spectabilis'' Saldanha * '' Andira spinulosa'' Benth. * '' Andira surinamensis'' (Bondt) Pulle * '' Andira trifoliolata'' Ducke * '' Andira unifoliolata'' Ducke * '' Andira vermifuga'' Benth. * '' Andira villosa'' Kleinhoonte * '' Andira zehntneri'' Harms

''Nomina Dubia''

The following species are of uncertain validity: * ''Andira araroba (Aguiar.)'' See

Araroba powder Araroba powder, also known as Bahia powder and Goa powder, is a drug occurring in the form of a yellowish-brown powder, varying considerably in tint, from the Portugal, Portuguese colony of Goa, where it appears to have been introduced about the ye ...

Mrs. M. Grieve. A Modern Herbal.
* ''Andira chigorodensis'' R.T.Penn. * ''Andira chiricana'' Pittier * ''Andira harfieldii'' Leschenault de la Tour * ''Andira jaliscensis'' R.T. Penn. * ''Andira macrocarpa'' R.T.Penn. * ''Andira microcarpa'' Griseb. * ''Andira oblonga'' Benth. * ''Andira praecox'' Arroyo ex R.T. Penn. * ''Andira taurotesticulata'' R.T. Penn. * ''Andira tervequinata'' R.T. Penn., G.A. Aymard & Cuello Andira fraxinifolia

Flickr - João de Deus Medeiros - Andira vermifuga

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2576870 Faboideae Taxonomy articles created by Polbot Fabaceae genera