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Genus Pterocarpus in Subfamily Papilionoideae

In botanical taxonomy, a genus (plural genera) is a rank used to group closely related species within a family. In the hierarchy, genus sits below family and above species.

Genera are defined by shared morphological, anatomical, and genetic characteristics (for example, features of flowers, fruits, seeds, or leaves) that indicate a close evolutionary relationship among the species they contain.

Each genus can include one or more species. Examples include Rosa (roses) and Solanum (nightshades, including tomato and eggplant).

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Genus Description

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Pterocarpus (Jacq.) belongs to Fabaceae, subfamily Faboideae, tribe Dalbergieae, where it forms the well‑known “rosewood” clade sensu Brazil & Pennington (2020). Estimates converge on about 60 species (ILDIS, 2006; POWO, 2024), ranging across tropical Africa, South and Southeast Asia, and the western Pacific, from coastal vegetation to semi‑deciduous and moist lowland forests, sometimes extending into lower montane zones. The type of the genus is Pterocarpus santalinus L.f. (ILDIS, 2006). The name means “winged fruit,” reflecting the diagnostic morphology. Trees are mostly evergreen or semi‑deciduous, with paripinnate leaves, usually bearing persistent stipules; indumentum, when present, is often rusty or golden on young parts. Inflorescences are axillary or terminal panicles; flowers are papilionoid with a standard that is often reflexed, lateral petals that may be spread, and a staminal sheath that is diadelphous in the typical “9+1” pattern. The ovary is stipitate, with 1–3 ovules and axile placentation. The fruit is a single‑seeded samara with a broad, wing‑like or papery membrane, usually marked by a central resinous vein and often borne on a persistent stipe; the seed is solitary and not arillate. The wood is characteristically heavy and often exudes reddish resin (Alves et al., 2007).

Species richness and endemism are strongest in Southeast Asia and the Malesian region, with secondary centers in West–Central Africa and the tropical Americas. Many species occur in secondary forest, riverine corridors, and seasonally dry formations; a few extend into coastal or mangrove fringes. As in many papilionoids, native symbioses with rhizobia are presumed (Rosas‑Espinoza et al., 2014), and a base chromosome number of x=8 is widely supported in the group (Goldblatt, 1981). Pollination is generally entomophilous, especially by bees; dispersal appears mainly anemochorous via the wing‑shaped pod, with secondary water or gravity dispersal likely for riparian taxa.

Traditionally, authors have recognized subgenera such as Pterocarpus and Asia (and sometimes Afro‑Pterocarpus) or sectional groupings (Brenan, 1967), and historical treatments differed on P. soyauxii (ILDIS, 2006). Molecular work over the last decade has repeatedly found Pterocarpus monophyletic, but backbone resolution remains uneven, and limits between Pterocarpus and adjacent genera in Dalbergieae are still debated (Brazil & Pennington, 2020). Recent floristic treatments in Africa (Flora of Zimbabwe, 2001) and Asia (Flora of China, 2010) follow broadly similar concepts, while global databases such as ILDIS (2006) and POWO (2024) provide complementary synonymy and distribution data but differ slightly on species counts.

Humans value Pterocarpus for timber, ornamentals, and shade. P. indicus is widely planted as a street and coastal shade tree, P. santalinus yields prized “red sanders,” and P. soyauxii supplies African padauk for furniture and veneer. None of the common species are considered aggressive weeds, though P. indicus can naturalize in disturbed habitats. The chief conservation concerns are habitat loss and unsustainable harvesting of high‑value timbers; illegal trade in P. santalinus and loss of gallery forests affect several taxa. Priority research gaps include standardized chromosome surveys, life‑history trait documentation across regions, and integrative taxonomic resolution to clarify the African vs. Asian lineages and their divergence times.

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