''Ormosia'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

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 ...

s (

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

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

). The more than 100 living

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

, mostly

tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...

s or large

shrub A shrub (often also called a bush) is a small-to-medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees ...

s, are distributed throughout 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 ...

regions of the world, some extending into

temperate In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (23.5° to 66.5° N/S of Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ranges throughout t ...

zones, especially in

East Asia East Asia is the eastern region of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The modern states of East Asia include China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan. China, North Korea, South Korea and ...

. A few species are threatened by

habitat destruction Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by which a natural habitat becomes incapable of supporting its native species. The organisms that previously inhabited the site are displaced or dead, thereby ...

, while the

Hainan ormosia ''Ormosia howii'', the Hainan ormosia, is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae native to southern China. It was initially found on Diaoluo Shan, Hainan Island in 1954 and then in Yangchun, Guangdong Guangdong (, ), altern ...

(''Ormosia howii'') is probably

extinct Extinction is the termination of a kind of organism or of a group of kinds (taxon), usually a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and ...

already. Plants in this genus are commonly known as horse-eye beans or simply ormosias, and in Spanish by the somewhat ambiguous term ''"chocho"''. The

scientific name In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

''Ormosia'' is a ''

nomen conservandum Nomen may refer to: *Nomen (Roman name), the middle part of Ancient Roman names * Nomen (Ancient Egypt), the personal name of Ancient Egyptian pharaohs *Jaume Nomen (born 1960), Catalan astronomer *Nomen, Latin for a certain part of speech *Nomen, ...

'', overruling ''Toulichiba'' which is formally rejected under the ''

International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants The ''International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants'' (ICN) is the set of rules and recommendations dealing with the formal botanical names that are given to plants, fungi and a few other groups of organisms, all those "trad ...

''. The

seed A seed is an embryonic plant enclosed in a protective outer covering, along with a food reserve. The formation of the seed is a part of the process of reproduction in seed plants, the spermatophytes, including the gymnosperm and angiospe ...

s of these plants are

poison Poison is a chemical substance that has a detrimental effect to life. The term is used in a wide range of scientific fields and industries, where it is often specifically defined. It may also be applied colloquially or figuratively, with a broa ...

ous if eaten, but often look pretty, with bright colors and decorative patterns reminiscent of an

eye Eyes are organs of the visual system. They provide living organisms with vision, the ability to receive and process visual detail, as well as enabling several photo response functions that are independent of vision. Eyes detect light and conv ...

; the common name "horse-eye beans" refers to these seeds. They resemble the seeds of ''

Abrus ''Abrus'' is a genus of flowering plants in the pea family, Fabaceae and the only genus in the tribe Abreae. It contains 13–18 species, but is best known for a single species: jequirity ('' A. precatorius''). The highly toxic seeds of that ...

'',

snoutbean ''Rhynchosia'', also known as snoutbean, is a genus of plants in the family Fabaceae. There are several different complexes within the genus, including the ''Senna'' complex.Turner,B.L., http://www.biosci.utexas.edu/prc/pdfs/Turner-Lundellia14 ...

s (''Rhynchosia''), and ''

Adenanthera ''Adenanthera'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae. It contains the following species: * ''Adenanthera bicolor'' Merr. (Sri Lanka) * ''Adenanthera intermedia'' Merr. (Philippines) * ''Adenanthera pavonina'' L. - Coralwood (In ...

'', but are much larger than the former two. In particular those of ''

Ormosia coccinea ''Ormosia coccinea'' is a plant that grows throughout the South Eastern North American countries, and all throughout South America. It produces beautiful red seeds with one black spot covering one-third of its surface. These seeds are used for ...

'' are often used for

jewelry Jewellery ( UK) or jewelry (U.S.) consists of decorative items worn for personal adornment, such as brooches, rings, necklaces, earrings, pendants, bracelets, and cufflinks. Jewellery may be attached to the body or the clothes. From a western ...

and other decorative purposes, or as good luck charms. The seeds float and are occasionally found as " sea beans". Otherwise, ''Ormosia'' wood is used as

timber Lumber is wood that has been processed into dimensional lumber, including beams and planks or boards, a stage in the process of wood production. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, wi ...

firewood Firewood is any wooden material that is gathered and used for fuel. Generally, firewood is not highly processed and is in some sort of recognizable log or branch form, compared to other forms of wood fuel like pellets or chips. Firewood can ...

. Some species, for example '' Ormosia nobilis'', are also used in folk medicine.

Fossil record

8 dehiscent seed pod

fossils A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved in ...

of one ''Ormosia'' species from the middle Eocene epoch have been examined from Warman clay pit in Weakley County, while 52 fossil leaflets of two ''Ormosia'' species have been described from Warman, New Lawrence and Lamkin clay pits in Weakley and Henry Counties,

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

Species

''Ormosia'' comprises the following species: * '' Ormosia altimontana'' Meireles & H.C. Lima * ''

Ormosia amazonica ''Ormosia amazonica'' is a species of tree in the family Fabaceae native to the Amazon rainforest. It is naturally distributed in Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador and Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_c ...

'' Ducke * '' Ormosia antioquensis'' Rudd * '' Ormosia apiculata'' L. Chen * '' Ormosia arborea'' (Vell.) Harms * '' Ormosia assamica'' Yakovlev * '' Ormosia avilensis'' Pittier * '' Ormosia bahiensis'' Monach. * '' Ormosia balansae'' Drake * '' Ormosia bancana'' (Miq.) Merr. * '' Ormosia bolivarensis'' (Rudd) C.H. Stirt. * '' Ormosia boluoensis'' Y.Q. Wang & P.Y. Chen * '' Ormosia bopiensis'' J.F. Macbr. * '' Ormosia calavensis'' Blanco * '' Ormosia cambodiana'' Gagnep. * '' Ormosia chevalieri'' Niyomdham * '' Ormosia cinerea'' Benoist * '' Ormosia coarctata'' Jacks. * ''

'' (Aubl.) Jacks. ** var. ''coccinea'' (Aubl.) Jacks. ** var. ''subsimplex'' (Benth.) Rudd * '' Ormosia colombiana'' Rudd * '' Ormosia costulata'' (Miq.) Kleinhoonte * '' Ormosia coutinhoi'' Ducke— red horse-eye bean * '' Ormosia crassivalvis'' Gagnep. * '' Ormosia cruenta'' Rudd * '' Ormosia cuatrecasasii'' Rudd * '' Ormosia discolor'' Benth. * '' Ormosia elata'' Rudd * '' Ormosia elliptica'' Q.W. Yao & R.H. Chang * '' Ormosia emarginata'' (Hook. & Arn.) Benth. * '' Ormosia eugeniifolia'' R.H. Chang * ''

Ormosia excelsa ''Ormosia excelsa'' is a plant species in the genus ''Ormosia'', a tropical legume. ''Ormosia excelsa'' produces the O-methylated isoflavone 5-O-methylgenistein 5-''O''-Methylgenistein is an O-methylated isoflavone. It can be found in '' Orm ...

'' Benth. * ''

Ormosia fastigiata ''Ormosia'' is a genus of legumes (family Fabaceae). The more than 100 living species, mostly trees or large shrubs, are distributed throughout the tropical regions of the world, some extending into temperate zones, especially in East Asia. A fe ...

'' Tul. * '' Ormosia ferruginea'' R.H. Chang * '' Ormosia flava'' (Ducke) Rudd * '' Ormosia fordiana'' Oliv. * '' Ormosia formosana'' Kaneh. * ''

Ormosia friburgensis ''Ormosia'' is a genus of legumes (family Fabaceae). The more than 100 living species, mostly trees or large shrubs, are distributed throughout the tropical regions of the world, some extending into temperate zones, especially in East Asia. A ...

'' Glaz. * '' Ormosia froesii'' Rudd * '' Ormosia glaberrima'' Y.C. Wu * '' Ormosia glauca'' Wall. * '' Ormosia gracilis'' Prain * '' Ormosia grandiflora'' (Tul.) Rudd * '' Ormosia grandistipulata'' Whitmore * '' Ormosia grossa'' Rudd * '' Ormosia hekouensis'' R.H. Chang * '' Ormosia hengchuniana'' T.C. Huang, S.F. Huang & K.C. Yang * '' Ormosia henryi'' Prain * '' Ormosia hoaensis'' Gagnep. * '' Ormosia holerythra'' Ducke * '' Ormosia hosiei'' Hemsl. & E.H. Wilson * '' Ormosia howii'' L. Chen—

(probably

) * '' Ormosia indurata'' L. Chen * '' Ormosia inflata'' Merr. & L. Chen * '' Ormosia intermedia'' N. Zamora * '' Ormosia isthmensis'' Standl. * '' Ormosia jamaicensis'' Urb. * '' Ormosia kerrii'' Niyomdham * '' Ormosia krugii'' Urb. * '' Ormosia laosensis'' Niyomdham * '' Ormosia larecajana'' Rudd * '' Ormosia lewisii'' D.B.O.S.Cardoso ''et al''. * '' Ormosia lignivalvis'' Rudd * '' Ormosia limae'' D.B.O.S.Cardoso & L.P.Queiroz * '' Ormosia longipes'' L. Chen * '' Ormosia macrocalyx'' Ducke * '' Ormosia macrodisca'' Baker * '' Ormosia macrophylla'' Benth. * '' Ormosia maguireorum'' Rudd * '' Ormosia mataridek'' Aymard & Sanoja * '' Ormosia melanocarpa'' Kleinhoonte * '' Ormosia microphylla'' Merr. & L. Chen * ''

Ormosia minor ''Ormosia'' is a genus of legumes (family Fabaceae). The more than 100 living species, mostly trees or large shrubs, are distributed throughout the tropical regions of the world, some extending into temperate zones, especially in East Asia. A ...

'' Vogel * '' Ormosia monosperma'' (Sw.) Urb. * '' Ormosia nanningensis'' L. Chen * '' Ormosia napoensis'' Z. Wei & R.H. Chang * '' Ormosia nitida'' Vogel * '' Ormosia nobilis'' Tul. ** var. ''nobilis'' Tul. ** var. ''santaremnensis'' (Ducke) Rudd * '' Ormosia nuda'' (F.C. How) R.H. Chang & Q.W. Yao * '' Ormosia oaxacana'' Rudd * '' Ormosia olivacea'' L. Chen * '' Ormosia ormondii'' (F. Muell.) Merr. * ''Ormosia pachycarpa'' Benth.—Hairy-fruited Ormosia * ''Ormosia pachyptera'' L. Chen * ''Ormosia panamensis'' Benth.—''coronil, sur espino'' * ''Ormosia paniculata'' Merr. * ''Ormosia paraensis'' Ducke * ''Ormosia penangensis'' Ridl. * ''Ormosia peruviana'' Rudd * ''Ormosia pingbianensis'' W.C. Cheng & R.H. Chang * ''Ormosia pinnata'' (Lour.) Merr. * ''Ormosia poilanei'' Niyomdham * ''Ormosia polita'' Prain * ''Ormosia pubescens'' R.H. Chang * ''Ormosia purpureiflora'' L. Chen * ''Ormosia revoluta'' Rudd * ''Ormosia robusta'' Baker * ''Ormosia ruddiana'' Yakovlev * ''Ormosia saxatilis'' K.M. Lan * ''Ormosia scandens'' Prain * ''Ormosia schippii'' Standl. & Steyerm. * ''Ormosia schunkei'' Rudd * ''Ormosia semicastrata'' Hance ** f. ''litchifolia'' F. C. How ** f. ''pallida'' F. C. How ** f. ''semicastrata'' Hance * ''Ormosia sericeolucida'' L. Chen * ''Ormosia simplicifolia'' Merr. & L. Chen * ''Ormosia smithii'' Rudd * ''Ormosia solimoesensis'' Rudd * ''Ormosia steyermarkii'' Rudd * ''Ormosia stipulacea'' Meeuwen * ''Ormosia stipularis'' Ducke * ''Ormosia striata'' Dunn * ''Ormosia sumatrana'' (Miq.) Prain * ''Ormosia surigaensis'' Merr. * ''Ormosia tavoyana'' Prain * ''Ormosia timboënsis'' D. Cardoso, Meireles & H.C. Lima * ''Ormosia tonkinensis'' Gagnep. * ''Ormosia tovarensis'' Pittier * ''Ormosia travancorica'' Bedd. * ''Ormosia trifoliolata'' Huber * ''Ormosia tsangii'' L. Chen * ''Ormosia velutina'' Rudd * ''Ormosia venezolana'' Rudd * ''Ormosia venosa'' Baker * ''Ormosia vicosana'' Rudd * ''Ormosia williamsii'' Rudd * ''Ormosia xylocarpa'' Merr. & L. Chen * ''Ormosia zahnii'' Harms

Species names with uncertain taxonomic status

The status of the following species is unresolved: * ''Ormosia apiculata'' H.Y. Chen * ''Ormosia carinata'' N.Zamora * ''Ormosia clementis'' Merr. * ''Ormosia dubia'' Prain * ''Ormosia esquirolii'' H.Lév. * ''Ormosia floribunda'' Wall. * ''Ormosia friburgensis'' Taub. ex Harms * ''Ormosia galericulata'' C.H. Stirt. * ''Ormosia howii'' Merr. & Chun * ''Ormosia indurata'' H.Y. Chen * ''Ormosia inflata'' Merr. & Chun * ''Ormosia longipes'' H.Y. Chen * ''Ormosia microphylla'' Merr. * ''Ormosia monophylla'' (Harms) Stapf * ''Ormosia nanningensis'' H.Y. Chen * ''Ormosia olivacea'' H.Y. Chen * ''Ormosia pachyptera'' H.Y. Chen * ''Ormosia panamensis'' Benth. ex Seem. * ''Ormosia pingbianensis'' M. Cheng & R.H. Chang * ''Ormosia purpureiflora'' H.Y. Chen * ''Ormosia ridleyi'' King * ''Ormosia sericeolucida'' H.Y. Chen * ''Ormosia simplicifolia'' Merr. & Chun * ''Ormosia vagraja'' C.H. Stirt. * ''Ormosia xylocarpa'' Chun ex Merr. & H.Y. Chen * ''Placolobium ellipticum'' N.D. Khoi & Yakovlev * ''Placolobium vietnamense'' N.D. Khoi & YakovlevThese three are accepted species, but have yet to be formally transferred to ''Ormosia''. * ''Placolobium watsonii'' (C. Fischer) Yakovlev

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2872596 Ormosia, Fabaceae genera Taxonomy articles created by Polbot