''Sophora'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

of about 45

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 appropriat ...

of small

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 and

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 tree ...

s in the pea

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

Fabaceae. The species have a

pantropical A pantropical ("all tropics") distribution is one which covers tropical regions of both hemispheres. Examples of species include caecilians, modern sirenians and the plant genera ''Acacia'' and '' Bacopa''. ''Neotropical'' is a zoogeographic te ...

distribution. The generic name is derived from ''sophera'', an Arabic name for a pea-flowered tree. The genus formerly had a broader interpretation including many other species now treated in other genera, notably ''

Styphnolobium ''Styphnolobium'' is a small genus of three or four species of small trees and shrubs in the subfamily Faboideae of the pea family Fabaceae, formerly included within a broader interpretation of the genus '' Sophora''. It was recently assigned to ...

'' ( pagoda tree genus), which differs in lacking

nitrogen fixing Nitrogen fixation is a chemical process by which molecular nitrogen (), with a strong triple covalent bond, in the air is converted into ammonia () or related nitrogenous compounds, typically in soil or aquatic systems but also in industry. Atmo ...

bacteria (

rhizobia Rhizobia are diazotrophic bacteria that fix nitrogen after becoming established inside the root nodules of legumes (Fabaceae). To express genes for nitrogen fixation, rhizobia require a plant host; they cannot independently fix nitrogen. In g ...

) on the roots, and ''

Dermatophyllum ''Dermatophyllum'' is a genus of three or four species of shrubs and small trees in the subfamily Faboideae of the pea family, Fabaceae. The genus is native to southwestern North America from western Texas to New Mexico and Arizona in the United ...

'' (the mescalbeans). ''Styphnolobium'' has galactomannans as seed

polysaccharide Polysaccharides (), or polycarbohydrates, are the most abundant carbohydrates found in food. They are long chain polymeric carbohydrates composed of monosaccharide units bound together by glycosidic linkages. This carbohydrate can react with w ...

reserve, in contrast ''Sophora'' contains

arabinogalactan Arabinogalactan, also known as galactoarabinan, larch arabinogalactan, and larch gum, is a biopolymer consisting of arabinose and galactose monosaccharides. Two classes of arabinogalactans are found in nature: plant arabinogalactan and microbial a ...

s, and ''Dermatophyllum''

amylose Amylose is a polysaccharide made of α-D-glucose units, bonded to each other through α(1→4) glycosidic bonds. It is one of the two components of starch, making up approximately 20–30%. Because of its tightly packed helical structure, amylose ...

. The New Zealand ''Sophora'' species are known as kowhai. The seeds of species such as ''Sophora affinis'' and ''

Sophora chrysophylla ''Sophora chrysophylla'', known as ''māmane'' in Hawaiian, is a species of flowering plant in the pea and bean family, Fabaceae, that is endemic to Hawaii. It is highly polymorphic, growing as a shrub or tree, and able to reach a height of in ...

'' are reported to be poisonous.

Fossil record

One ''Sophora''

fossil 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 ...

seed pod from the middle

Eocene epoch The Eocene ( ) Epoch is a geological epoch that lasted from about 56 to 33.9 million years ago (mya). It is the second epoch of the Paleogene Period in the modern Cenozoic Era. The name ''Eocene'' comes from the Ancient Greek (''ēṓs'', "daw ...

has been described from the Miller clay pit in Henry County, Tennessee,

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 Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

Species

''Sophora'' comprises the following species: * '' Sophora albescens'' ( Rehder) C.Y. Ma * '' Sophora albo-petiolulata'' Léonard * '' Sophora alopecuroides'' L.—sophora root * '' Sophora bakeri'' Prain * '' Sophora benthamii'' Steenis * '' Sophora brachygyna'' C.Y. Ma * '' Sophora cassioides'' (

Phil. Rodolfo Amando (or Rudolph Amandus) Philippi (14 September 1808 – 23 July 1904) was a German–Chilean paleontologist and zoologist. Philippi contributed primarily to malacology and paleontology. His grandson, Rodulfo Amando Philippi Bañados ...

) Sparre—Pelú (

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the eas ...

) * ''

Sophora chathamica ''Sophora chathamica'', the coastal kōwhai, sometimes known as Chatham Island kōwhai, is one of 8 species of native sophora or kōwhai in New Zealand and grows naturally in the north-west of the North Island in New Zealand, as far south as the ...

Cockayne Cockaigne or Cockayne () is a land of plenty in medieval myth, an imaginary place of extreme luxury and ease where physical comforts and pleasures are always immediately at hand and where the harshness of medieval peasant life does not exist. S ...

—coastal kowhai (New Zealand) * ''

'' ( Salisb.)

Seem. Berthold Carl Seemann (25 February 1825, in Hanover, Germany – 10 October 1871, in Nicaragua, Central America), was a German botanist. He travelled widely and collected and described plants from the Pacific and South America. In 1844 he trave ...

—Māmane (

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

) * '' Sophora davidii'' (Franch.) Kom. ex Pavol. * '' Sophora denudata'' Bory * '' Sophora dunnii'' Craib * '' Sophora exigua'' Craib * '' Sophora fernandeziana'' (Phil.) Skottsb. (

Juan Fernández Islands The Juan Fernández Islands ( es, Archipiélago Juan Fernández) are a sparsely inhabited series of islands in the South Pacific Ocean reliant on tourism and fishing. Situated off the coast of Chile, they are composed of three main volcanic ...

) ** var. ''fernandeziana'' (Phil.) Skottsb. ** var. ''reedeana'' (R.A.Phillips) Skottsb. * ''

Sophora flavescens ''Sophora flavescens'', the shrubby sophora, is a species of plant in the genus '' Sophora'' of the family Fabaceae. This genus contains about 52 species, nineteen varieties, and seven forms that are widely distributed in Asia, Oceania, and the ...

'' Aiton—ku shen (Eastern Asia) ** var. ''flavescens'' Aiton ** var. ''galegoides'' (Pall.) DC. ** var. ''kronei'' (Hance) C.Y.Ma * '' Sophora franchetiana'' Dunn * '' Sophora fraseri'' Benth. * ''

Sophora fulvida ''Sophora fulvida'', the kōwhai or west coast kōwhai is one of 8 species of native ''Sophora'' or kōwhai in New Zealand and grows naturally around the Northland, Auckland and Waikato regions of New Zealand. Under the New Zealand Threat Classi ...

'' (Allan) Heenan & de Lange—Waitakere kowhai (New Zealand) * ''

Sophora godleyi ''Sophora godleyi'', also known as Godley's kōwhai, papa kōwhai or Rangitikei kōwhai, grows naturally in the west of the North Island of New Zealand from Te Kuiti to Manawatu. It is one of eight recognised species of kōwhai and was describ ...

''—Godley kowhai, papa kowhai (New Zealand) * '' Sophora howinsula'' ( W.R.B.Oliv.) P.S.Green —lignum vitae, Lord Howe kowhai * '' Sophora inhambanensis''

Klotzsch Johann Friedrich Klotzsch (9 June 1805 – 5 November 1860) was a German pharmacist and botanist. His principal work was in the field of mycology, with the study and description of many species of mushroom. Klotzsch was born in Wittenberg. Orig ...

* '' Sophora interrupta'' Bedd. * '' Sophora jaubertii'' Spach * '' Sophora koreensis'' Nakai – Korean necklace pod * '' Sophora lanaiensis'' (Chock) O. Deg. & I. Deg. * '' Sophora leachiana'' M. Peck * '' Sophora linearifolia'' Griseb. * ''

Sophora longicarinata ''Sophora longicarinata'' is commonly known as kōwhai or limestone kōwhai that grows naturally in a limited range around northern Nelson and also western Marlborough in New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country i ...

'' (G.Simpson) Allan—limestone kowhai (New Zealand) * '' Sophora longipes'' Merr. * ''

Sophora macrocarpa ''Sophora macrocarpa'' is a species of flowering tree or shrub of the genus ''Sophora'' of the family Fabaceae. It is commonly known as mayú or mayo, and is endemic to central and southern continental Chile. Description ''Sophora macrocarpa'' i ...

Sm. __NOTOC__ Sir James Edward Smith (2 December 1759 – 17 March 1828) was an English botanist and founder of the Linnean Society. Early life and education Smith was born in Norwich in 1759, the son of a wealthy wool merchant. He displayed a ...

—mayo or mayú (Chile) * '' Sophora mangarevaensis'' H.St.John (

French Polynesia )Territorial motto: ( en, "Great Tahiti of the Golden Haze") , anthem = , song_type = Regional anthem , song = "Ia Ora 'O Tahiti Nui" , image_map = French Polynesia on the globe (French Polynesia centered).svg , map_alt = Location of French ...

) * '' Sophora masafuerana'' (Phil.) Skottsb. (Juan Fernández Islands) * '' Sophora microcarpa'' C.Y. Ma * ''

Sophora microphylla ''Sophora microphylla'', common name kōwhai, is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae, native to New Zealand. Growing to tall and broad, it is an evergreen shrub or small tree. Each leaf is long with up to 40 pairs of shiny oval ...

'' Aiton—small-leaved kowhai (New Zealand) * ''

Sophora molloyi ''Sophora molloyi'', the Cook Strait kōwhai, Molloy's kōwhai or Stephen's Island kōwhai, is one of 8 species of kōwhai native to New Zealand, and grows naturally around the Cook Strait region. It was first described as a species in 2001 and n ...

''—Cook Strait Kowhai (New Zealand) * '' Sophora mollis'' (Royle) Baker ** subsp. ''griffithii'' (Stocks) Ali ** subsp. ''mollis'' (Royle) Baker * '' Sophora moorcroftiana'' (Benth.) Baker * '' Sophora nuttalliana'' B.L. Turner * '' Sophora pachycarpa'' Schrenk ex C.A.Mey. * '' Sophora polyphylla'' Urb. * '' Sophora praetorulosa'' Chun & T. Chen * '' Sophora prazeri'' Prain ** var. ''mairei'' (Pamp.) P.C.Tsoong ** var. ''prazeri'' Prain * ''

Sophora prostrata ''Sophora prostrata'' is commonly known as kōwhai, prostrate kōwhai or dwarf kōwhai and is endemic to the eastern South Island from Marlborough to the Waitaki Valley in New Zealand although most commonly found on the Banks Peninsula ...

'' Buchanan—dwarf kowhai, prostrate kowhai (New Zealand) * '' Sophora raivavaeensis'' H.St.John (French Polynesia) * '' Sophora rapaensis'' H.St.John (French Polynesia) * '' Sophora rhynchocarpa'' Griseb. * '' Sophora saxicola'' Proctor (

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of Hispa ...

) * ''Sophora secundiflora'', a popular landscape plant, was reclassified to ''

Dermatophyllum secundiflorum ''Dermatophyllum secundiflorum'' is a species of flowering shrub or small tree in the family Fabaceae that is native to the Southwestern United States (Texas, New Mexico) and Mexico (Chihuahua and Coahuila south to Hidalgo, Puebla, and Querét ...

''. * '' Sophora stenophylla'' A. Gray * ''

Sophora tetraptera ''Sophora tetraptera'', commonly known as large-leaved kōwhai, grows naturally only in the central east of the North Island in New Zealand. ''S. tetraptera'' has larger more widely spaced leaves than the other seven species of kōwhai. Etymo ...

'' J.F. Mill.—large-leaved kowhai, Taupo kowhai (New Zealand) * ''

Sophora tomentosa Sophora tomentosa, also known as necklacepod, yellow necklacepod, and occasionally as silver bush, is a pantropical shrub or small tree in the family Fabaceae. It commonly ranges in height from 4 to 10 feet and often occurs in coastal conditions ...

'' L.—necklace pod (

Pantropical A pantropical ("all tropics") distribution is one which covers tropical regions of both hemispheres. Examples of species include caecilians, modern sirenians and the plant genera ''Acacia'' and '' Bacopa''. ''Neotropical'' is a zoogeographic te ...

on coasts) ** subsp. ''littoralis'' (Schrad.) Yakovlev ** subsp. ''occidentalis'' (L.) Brummitt ** subsp. ''tomentosa'' L. * '' Sophora tonkinensis'' Gagnep. * ''

Sophora toromiro ''Sophora toromiro'', commonly known as toromiro, is a species of flowering tree in the legume family, Fabaceae, that is endemic to Easter Island. History Heavy deforestation had eliminated most of the island's forests by the first half of the ...

'' Skottsb.—toromiro (

Easter Island Easter Island ( rap, Rapa Nui; es, Isla de Pascua) is an island and special territory of Chile in the southeastern Pacific Ocean, at the southeasternmost point of the Polynesian Triangle in Oceania. The island is most famous for its nearl ...

) * '' Sophora unifoliata'' (Rock) O. Deg. & Sherff * '' Sophora velutina'' Lindl. ** subsp. ''cavaleriei'' (H.Lev.) Brummitt & J.B.Gillett ** subsp. ''velutina'' Lindl. ** subsp. ''zimbabweensis'' J. B. Gillett & Brummitt * '' Sophora violacea'' Thwaites * '' Sophora wightii''

Baker A baker is a tradesperson who baking, bakes and sometimes Sales, sells breads and other products made of flour by using an oven or other concentrated heat source. The place where a baker works is called a bakery. History Ancient history Si ...

(

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

) * '' Sophora xanthoantha'' C.Y. Ma * '' Sophora yunnanensis'' C.Y. Ma * '' Sophora zeylanica'' Trimen

Species names with uncertain taxonomic status

The status of the following species is unresolved: * ''Sophora albicans'' J.St.-Hil. * ''Sophora ambigua'' P.C.Tsoong * ''Sophora angulata'' (Hook. & Arn.) Ravenna * ''Sophora angustifolia'' Q.Q.Liu & H.Y.Ye * ''Sophora biflora'' Houtt. * ''Sophora biflora'' Retz. * ''Sophora buxifolia'' Retz. * ''Sophora chathamica'' Cockayne * ''Sophora coerulea'' Moench * ''Sophora cuneifolia'' Steud. * ''Sophora davidii'' (Franch.) Skeels * ''Sophora donihuensis'' Ravenna * ''Sophora fulvida'' (Allan) Heenan & de Lange * ''Sophora genistaefolia'' Salisb. * ''Sophora genistoides'' L. * ''Sophora glabra'' Moench * ''Sophora glabra'' Hassk. * ''Sophora godleyi'' Heenan & de Lange * ''Sophora grandiflora'' (Salisb.) Skottsb. * ''Sophora grisea'' O.Deg. & Sherff * ''Sophora hirsuta'' Aiton * ''Sophora houghiana'' Wall. * ''Sophora howinsula'' (W.R.B. Oliv.) P. Green * ''Sophora jabandas'' Montrouz. * ''Sophora juncea'' Schrad. * ''Sophora ludovice-Adecim-Asexta'' Buc'hoz * ''Sophora mangarevaensis'' H.St.John * ''Sophora mecosperma'' J.St.-Hil. * ''Sophora molloyi'' Heenan & de Lange * ''Sophora molokaiensis'' O. Degener & I. Degener * ''Sophora mutabilis'' Salisb. * ''Sophora myrtillifolia'' Retz. * ''Sophora oblongata'' P.C.Tsoong * ''Sophora oblongifolia'' Ruiz & Pav. * ''Sophora oligophylla'' Baker * ''Sophora pendula'' Spach * ''Sophora pentaphylla'' Desv. * ''Sophora persica'' (Boiss. & Buhse) Rech.f. * ''Sophora praetorulosa'' Chun & T.C. Chen * ''Sophora raivavaeensis'' H.St.John * ''Sophora rapaensis'' H.St.John * ''Sophora robinoides'' Walp. * ''Sophora senegalensis'' Deless. ex DC. * ''Sophora sibirica'' Holub * ''Sophora sinica'' Rosier * ''Sophora sinuata'' Larrañaga * ''Sophora sororia'' Hance * ''Sophora sumatrana'' Yakovlev * ''Sophora sylvatica'' Burch. * ''Sophora tetraptera'' J. Miller * ''Sophora tiloebsis'' Blume ex Miq. * ''Sophora tiloensis'' Blume ex Miq. * ''Sophora trifolia'' Steud. * ''Sophora triphylla'' Sweet * ''Sophora vanioti'' H. Lév. * ''Sophora vestita'' Nakai * ''Sophora viciifolis'' Hance

References

External links

''Sophora macrocarpa'' pictures from ''Chilebosque''
{{Taxonbar, from=Q309213 Fabaceae genera Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus