| The South American flora includes 65 genera of Caesalpinioideae (Leguminosae) with wide morphological variation. The four tribes of that subafmily are represented: 31 genera belong to the Caesalpinieae (3 of them introduced); 9 to the Cassieae; 2 to Cercideae (1 introduced), and 23 to Detarieae (2 introduced). Among the South American Caesalpinoideae, 30 genera are endemic (mainly to Brazil), the remaining ones inhabit in tropical and subtropical areas from both hemispheres. All of them grow in diverse habitats: from rainforests, evergreen or deciduous forests, to savannas, semideserts and high mountains. Tribes and genera are arranged according to Polhill & Raven (1981), only Poepiggia has been transferred from Caesalpinieae to Cassieae, and... |
