botanical name
A botanical name is a formal scientific name conforming to the ''International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants'' (ICN) and, if it concerns a plant cultigen, the additional cultivar or Group epithets must conform to the ''Internat ...
at the rank of subfamily, placed in the large family Fabaceae or Leguminosae. Its name is formed from the generic name ''
Caesalpinia
''Caesalpinia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae. Historically, membership within the genus has been highly variable, with different publications including anywhere from 70 to 165 species, depending largely on the inclusion o ...
''. It is known also as the peacock flower subfamily. The Caesalpinioideae are mainly trees distributed in the moist
tropics
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 referr ...
, but include such temperate species as the honeylocust (''
Gleditsia triacanthos
The honey locust (''Gleditsia triacanthos''), also known as the thorny locust or thorny honeylocust, is a deciduous tree in the family Fabaceae, native to central North America where it is mostly found in the moist soil of river valleys. Honey ...
'') and Kentucky coffeetree (''
Gymnocladus dioicus
The Kentucky coffeetree (''Gymnocladus dioicus''), also known as American coffee berry, Kentucky mahogany, nicker tree, and stump tree, is a tree in the subfamily Caesalpinioideae of the legume family Fabaceae, native to the Midwest, Upper South, ...
''). It has the following clade-based definition:
The most inclusive
crown clade
In phylogenetics, the crown group or crown assemblage is a collection of species composed of the living representatives of the collection, the most recent common ancestor of the collection, and all descendants of the most recent common ancestor. ...
Mimosa pudica
''Mimosa pudica'' (from la, pudica "shy, bashful or shrinking"; also called sensitive plant, sleepy plant, action plant, touch-me-not, shameplant) is a creeping annual or perennial flowering plant of the pea/legume family Fabaceae. It is often g ...
Cronquist system
The Cronquist system is a taxonomic classification system of flowering plants. It was developed by Arthur Cronquist in a series of monographs and texts, including ''The Evolution and Classification of Flowering Plants'' (1968; 2nd edition, 1988) ...
, the group is recognized at the rank of family, Caesalpiniaceae.
Characteristics
* Specialised extrafloral nectaries often present on the petiole and / or on the primary and secondary rachises, usually between pinnae or leaflet pairs
* Leaves commonly bipinnate
*
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a Plant stem, stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphology (biology), Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of sperma ...
s globose, spicate
* Aestivation valvate
* Anthers often with a stipitate or sessile apical gland
* Pollen commonly in tetrads, bitetrads or polyads
*
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 usually with an open or closed pleurogram on both faces
* Root nodules variably present and indeterminate
Chamaecrista
''Chamaecrista'' is a genus of flowering plants in the pea family, Fabaceae, subfamily Caesalpinioideae. Members of the genus are commonly known as sensitive pea. Several species are capable of rapid plant movement. Unlike the related genera ...
'' Moench
** ''
Melanoxylum
''Melanoxylum'' is the 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 an ...
pro parte
The Botanical and Zoological Codes of nomenclature treat the concept of synonymy differently.
* In botanical nomenclature, a synonym is a scientific name that applies to a taxon that (now) goes by a different scientific name. For example, Linnae ...
Erythrophleum
''Erythrophleum'' is a genus of legume in the family Fabaceae.
A partial list of species includes:
* ''Erythrophleum africanum''
* ''Erythrophleum chlorostachys''
* ''Erythrophleum couminga'' Baill.Moldenhawera'' Schrad.
** '' Pachyelasma'' Harms
** '' Sympetalandra'' Stapf
** Mimosoid clade (~40 genera)
* ''Peltophorum'' Clade
** '' Bussea'' Harms
** '' Colvillea'' Bojer ex Hook.
** '' Conzattia'' Rose
** '' Delonix'' Raf.
** '' Heteroflorum'' M. Sousa
** '' Lemuropisum'' H.Perrier
** ''
Parkinsonia
''Parkinsonia'' , also ''Cercidium'' , is a genus of flowering plants in the pea family, Fabaceae. It contains about 12 species that are native to semi-desert regions of Africa and the Americas. The name of the genus honors English apothecary ...
Gleditsia
''Gleditsia'' (honey locust) is a genus of trees in the family Fabaceae, subfamily Caesalpinioideae, native to North America and Asia. The Latin name commemorates Johann Gottlieb Gleditsch, director of the Berlin Botanical Garden, who died in 1 ...
'' L.
** ''
Gymnocladus
''Gymnocladus'' ( Neo-Latin, from Greek γυμνὀς, ''gymnos'', naked + κλάδος, ''klados'', branch) is a small genus of leguminous trees. The common name coffeetree is used for this genus. Description
''Gymnocladus'' species are very l ...
molecular phylogenies
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 ...
in the early 2000s showed that the other two subfamilies of Fabaceae (
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 widely ...
and
Mimosoideae
The Mimosoideae are a traditional subfamily of trees, herbs, lianas, and shrubs in the pea family (Fabaceae) that mostly grow in tropical and subtropical climates. They are typically characterized by having radially symmetric flowers, with petals ...
) were both nested within Caesalpinioideae. Consequently, the subfamilies of Fabaceae were reorganized to make them monophyletic. Caesalpinioideae, as currently defined, contains the following subclades: