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— Indigofera is a genus of the tribe Indigofereae (Leguminosae, Papilionoideae), with approximately 750 species distributed across tropical and subtropical regions of the world. In Brazil, the genus is associated mostly with the seasonally dry biomes of Caatinga and Cerrado, where 12 out of the 13 species recorded in Brazil occur. A close examination of the morphological variation in the Caatinga species showed that more than one species could be identified among the specimens referred to as I. blanchetiana. We thus propose the new species I. morroensis, which is distinguishable from I. blanchetiana by its habit, the number, shape, and hairiness of leaflets, and shape of the fruit. Indigofera morroensis occurs on sand dunes of the Morro do Chapéu municipality in Bahia state and its conservation status was assessed as Endangered. We provide the description, illustration, taxonomic comments, and distribution map for this new species, as well as an identification key for the species from Northeastern Brazil, including those that occur in the Caatinga.

— A new species of Macroptilium from seasonally dry tropical forests and woodlands (SDTFW) from Northeastern Brazil is described herein. Macroptilium albidum can be characterized by its flowers with whitish or greenish petals, a fascicle of bracts in two tufts near the base of the peduncle, floral bracts, and bracteoles equal or slightly longer than the length of the calyx. Illustrations, taxonomic comments, a distribution map, and an identification key to the species of Macroptilium from Northeastern Brazil are provided.

Copaifera L. is a tropical genus with its highest diversity in the New World, renowned for the “copaiba oil” extracted from the trunk of many of its species, which has wide applications in traditional medicine and the pharmachemical industry. Despite relatively recent revisions, the genus is still deemed complex and its species difficult to recognize due to often overlapping circumscriptions. A crucial step in species delimitation and correct application of names is the analysis of types. Advances in the digitization of biological collections and bibliographical material have facilitated the access to type collections, but the information available is still fragmented and, in many cases, equivocal. The aim of this work was to perform a typological assessment of the names of Copaifera based on material from the New World, providing a nomenclatural revision toward a better understanding of its species and a broad taxonomic revision of the genus.

Schnella madeleinae, a new species of liana with entire leaves from the Magdalena River Valley of Colombia, is described, illustrated, and aspects related to its distribution, conservation status, and relationships with morphologically similar species are discussed. Schnella madeleinae is characterized by the presence of heteromorphic petals in which the three superior petals are wider (4.5–5.0 × 2.5–3.0 mm) with respect to the two inferiors (5–6 × 2.0–2.5 mm) and oblong laterally compressed legumes of 5.0–6.5 × 1–2 cm. This new species is only known from five localities in the departments of Antioquia and Bolivar. Additionally, a key to the species of the entire leaves of the Schnella sect. Schnella is presented.

The Caatinga biome in Brazil comprises the largest and most continuous expanse of the seasonally dry tropical forest (SDTF) worldwide; nevertheless, it is among the most threatened and least studied, despite its ecological and biogeographical importance. The spatial distribution of volumetric wood stocks in the Caatinga and the relationship with environmental factors remain unknown. Therefore, this study intends to quantify and analyze the spatial distribution of wood volume as a function of environmental variables in Caatinga vegetation in Bahia State, Brazil. Volumetric estimates were obtained at the plot and fragment level. The multiple linear regression techniques were adopted, using environmental variables in the area as predictors. Spatial modeling was performed using the geostatistical kriging approach with the model residuals. The model developed presented a reasonable fit for the volume m3 ha with r2 of 0.54 and Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) of 10.9 m3 ha–1. The kriging of ordinary residuals suggested low error estimates in unsampled locations and balance in the under and overestimates of the model. The regression kriging approach provided greater detailing of the global wood volume stock map, yielding volume estimates that ranged from 0.01 to 109 m3 ha–1. Elevation, mean annual temperature, and precipitation of the driest month are strong environmental predictors for volume estimation. This information is necessary to development action plans for sustainable management and use of the Caatinga SDTF in Bahia State, Brazil.

— Plants from Brazilian campos rupestres usually present morphological strategies that allow them to survive in extreme environments. However, in Chamaecrista (Leguminosae, Caesalpinioideae), one of the most diverse genera in the campos rupestres, needle-like leaflets are rare. Reviewing the species that present such leaf morphology, we describe Chamaecrista acicularis, a new species from the Canastra Range, in the southwestern region of the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that C. acicularis is not closely related to other quite similar needle-like leafleted species and that this trait evolved convergently. We also present comments on the phylogenetic relationships of needle-like leafleted species as well as the evolution of the leaflet amplitude, and a detailed description of C. acicularis alongside illustrations, photos, geographical distribution, a key to the needle-like leafleted species and taxonomic notes on similar species. Additionally, we expand the description of Chamaecrista strictifolia and present an informal conservation status for all needle-like leafleted species.

Leguminosae Juss. é a terceira família de angiospermas com maior diversidade em número de espécies, sendo representada por 770 gêneros e cerca de 20.000 espécies em seis subfamílias (Lewis et al., 2005; LPWG, 2017).

The plastid genome (plastome), while surprisingly constant in gene order and content across most photosynthetic angiosperms, exhibits variability in several unrelated lineages. During the diversification history of the legume family Fabaceae, plastomes have undergone many rearrangements, including inversions, expansion, contraction and loss of the typical inverted repeat (IR), gene loss and repeat accumulation in both shared and independent events. While legume plastomes have been the subject of study for some time, most work has focused on agricultural species in the IR-lacking clade (IRLC) and the plant model Medicago truncatula. The subfamily Papilionoideae, which contains virtually all of the agricultural legume species, also comprises most of the plastome variation detected thus far in the family. In this study three non-papilioniods were included among 34 newly sequenced legume plastomes, along with 33 publicly available sequences, to assess plastome structural evolution in the subfamily. In an effort to examine plastome variation across the subfamily, just ~20% of the sampling represents the IRLC with the remainder selected to represent the early-branching papilionoid clades. A number of IR-related and repeat-mediated changes were identified and examined in a phylogenetic context. Recombination between direct repeats associated with ycf2 resulted in intraindividual plastome heteroplasmy. Although loss of the inverted repeat has not been reported in legumes outside of the IRLC, one genistoid taxon was found to completely lack the typical plastome IR. The role of the IR and non-IR repeats in the progression of plastome change is discussed.

Studies have shown that Acacia Mill. sensu lato consists of seven genera (Acacia sensu stricto, Acaciella Britton & Rose, Mariosousa Seigler & Ebinger, Senegalia Raf., and Vachellia Wight & Arnott)...

In Brazil, the genus Calliandra Benth. (Caesalpinioideae; Leguminosae) comprises 74 species, of which 59 are endemic; the north-eastern region stands out as its largest dispersal centre. Calliandra...

Bauhinia includes about 150 species distributed across the tropics. Most Neotropical species belong to Bauhinia ser. Cansenia that includes unarmed trees and shrubs, mostly from areas under seasonally dry climate. A new species of this series is described here from the northeastern Brazilian states of Bahia and Sergipe. Bauhinia corifolia occurs in open vegetation on sandy soils of Restinga vegetation at the Atlantic coastal forests. It is morphologically similar to B. acuruana by sharing the entire and ovate leaflet with a retuse to emarginate apex and a cordate base, but differing by its tall shrub to treelet habit, larger leaves with a glabrous and glossy upper surface, shorter bracts, and longer flowers. We provide description, illustration and distribution map for the new species.

We describe and illustrate here a new species of Rinorea from the Brazilian states of Bahia and Espírito Santo, under the name Rinorea gemmulata. The new species occurs in the understory of seasonally dry riparian and semi-deciduous forests. The new species could be diagnosed by the combination of opposite leaves, free stamens, velutinous connective and for the unique presence of perulate buds. We provide a distribution map, a preliminary IUCN conservation assessment, and illustrations, as well as morphological comparison with the sympatric R. ramiziana and the putatively related R. vaupesana and R. villosiflora.

Galactia is a pantropical genus, which is part of the Galactia clade, and together with the genera Betencourtia, Caetangil, Cerradicola, Collaea, Lackeya, Nanogalactia, and Rhodopis, it maintains a taxonomic relationship that has already been the focus of previous studies. However, the palynology of these groups has not been extensively studied, with gaps in pollen descriptions. Thus, a palynological study of 30 species belonging to Galactia and related genera was performed. For this purpose, pollen grains were acetolized using the standard methodology, subjected to scanning electron microscopy analysis, and then quantitatively and qualitatively evaluated. Generally, pollen grains of this genera are medium or large size, isopolar or heteropolar, 3-colporate, and may have microreticulate or reticulate exine. Pollen data for Rhodopis and Nanogalactia agree with the most recently proposed circumscription of these genera. Other genera exhibited similar pollen characteristics; however, the diameter of the lumen, associated with other pollen characteristics, proved to be important for the differentiation of the genera. Thus, the pollen morphology provided information that contributes to the description of the genera, mainly Brazilian representatives of Galactia and related genera.

Floral traits associated with functional groups of pollinators have been largely employed to understand mechanisms of floral diversification. Hymenaea is a monophyletic legume genus widely recognized to being bat-pollinated, with nocturnal anthesis and copious nectar. The most of species has short-paniculate inflorescences, white and robust flowers, congruent with a bat-pollination syndrome. However, other Hymenaea species show a different floral pattern (e.g., long-paniculate inflorescences and smaller flowers) which we report here as being bird pollinated. We examined the floral traits and visitors of Hymenaea oblongifolia var. latifolia and identified evolutionary shifts in floral traits associated with potential pollinators of Hymenaea species. Floral traits of H. oblongifolia var. latifolia differ from those expected for bat-pollinated flowers in species of sect. Hymenaea, and we observed hummingbirds collecting nectar legitimately. Our phylogenetic analysis did not support the monophyly of the taxonomic sections and suggests that bat pollination is ancestral in Hymenaea, with bird pollination evolving later. The transition coupling with shifts in the timing of anthesis and other floral traits. Pollinator-mediated evolutionary divergence hypothesis partially explains the Hymenaea diversification in the Neotropics. It is congruent with those species shifting from traits linked traditionally to bat pollination to hummingbird pollination.

Phylogenomic analyses have helped resolve many recalcitrant relationships in the angiosperm tree of life, yet phylogenetic resolution of the backbone of the Leguminosae, one of the largest and most economically and ecologically important families, remains poor due to generally limited molecular data and incomplete taxon sampling of previous studies. Here, we resolve many of the Leguminosae’s thorniest nodes through comprehensive analysis of plastome-scale data using multiple modified coding and noncoding data sets of 187 species representing almost all major clades of the family. Additionally, we thoroughly characterize conflicting phylogenomic signal across the plastome in light of the family’s complex history of plastome evolution. Most analyses produced largely congruent topologies with strong statistical support and provided strong support for resolution of some long-controversial deep relationships among the early diverging lineages of the subfamilies Caesalpinioideae and Papilionoideae. The robust phylogenetic backbone reconstructed in this study establishes a framework for future studies on legume classification, evolution, and diversification. However, conflicting phylogenetic signal was detected and quantified at several key nodes that prevent the confident resolution of these nodes using plastome data alone. [Leguminosae; maximum likelihood; phylogenetic conflict; plastome; recalcitrant relationships; stochasticity; systematic error.]

The Galactia clade is one of three major lineages of the papilionoid legume tribe Diocleae. It comprises eight genera and approximately 140 species almost entirely restricted to the Americas. Establishing stable generic boundaries within this clade has been a challenge because of its tortuous taxonomic history and the broad polyphyly of the genera of the so-called Galactia-Camptosema-Collaea complex. Previous molecular phylogenetic studies revealed some well-supported lineages, but did not advance towards any new taxonomic arrangements. We carried out maximum parsimony and Bayesian phylogenetic analyses of a combined dataset including our previously published multilocus molecular data (nrITS and ETS and plastid trnK/matK and trnT-Y regions) and 82 morphological characters. The resulting topologies largely concur with those previously reported based on molecular data only, where Camptosema and Galactia appear as broadly polyphyletic, with species scattered among five (Camptosema) and seven (Galactia) of the twelve lineages that are newly recognized here at genus level. We are therefore proposing the following new taxonomic rearrangements within the Galactia clade: descriptions of the new genera Caetangil, Cerradicola, Mantiqueira, and Nanogalactia; resurrection of Betencourtia; and the subsuming of Neorudolphia into Rhodopis and of Camptosema sect. Macropetalum into Cratylia.

—Unifoliolate leaves are relatively rare in the species-rich dalbergioid clade of papilionoid legumes (Leguminosae, Papilionoideae). For the pantropical, diverse genus Aeschynomene (ca. 180 species), the only known record of unifoliolate species described so far is the savanna-inhabiting A. simplicifolia from Chapada dos Veadeiros in Goiás, Brazil. The current work provides a description, illustrations, and a distribution map of another unifoliolate species, Aeschynomene chicocesariana, which was newly discovered in the rupestrian grasslands of Chapada Diamantina in Bahia, Brazil. Bayesian phylogenetic analyses of DNA sequence data (nuclear ribosomal ITS/5.8S and the plastid genes matK and trnL intron) have unequivocally placed A. chicocesariana with the rest of Aeschynomene species that are traditionally placed within Aeschynomene sect. Ochopodium. This result agrees with the shared morphology of A. chicocesariana and members of that section.

We present the taxonomic treatment of the genus Enterolobium for the state of Bahia, Brazil. Five species were recorded, for which we provide an identification key, descriptions, comments, data on the period of fruiting and flowering, as well as illustrations and maps of geographical distribution in Bahia.

The plastid genome (plastome), while surprisingly constant in gene order and content across most photosynthetic angiosperms, exhibits variability in several unrelated lineages. During the diversification history of the legume family Fabaceae, plastomes have undergone many rearrangements, including inversions, expansion, contraction and loss of the typical inverted repeat (IR), gene loss and repeat accumulation in both shared and independent events. While legume plastomes have been the subject of study for some time, most work has focused on agricultural species in the IR-lacking clade (IRLC) and the plant modelMedicago truncatula. The subfamily Papilionoideae, which contains virtually all of the agricultural legume species, also comprises most of the plastome variation detected thus far in the family. In this study 33 newly sequenced plastomes of papilionoid legumes and outgroups were evaluated, along with 34 publicly available sequences, to assess plastome structural evolution in the subfamily. In an effort to examine plastome variation across the subfamily, just ∼20% of the sampling represents the IRLC with the remainder selected to represent the early-branching papilionoid clades. A number of IR-related and repeat-mediated changes were identified and examined in a phylogenetic context. Recombination between direct repeats associated withycf2resulted in intraindividual plastome heteroplasmy. Although loss of the inverted repeat has not been reported in legumes outside of the IRLC, one genistoid taxon was found to completely lack the typical plastome IR. The role of the IR and non-IR repeats in driving plastome change is discussed.Significance statementComparative genomic approaches employing plastid genomes (plastomes) have revealed that they are more variable across angiosperms than previously suggested. This study examined 64 species of Fabaceae and outgroups, including 33 newly sequenced taxa, to explore plastome structural evolution of the subfamily Papilionoideae in a phylogenetic context. Several unusual features of the inverted repeat highlight the importance of recombination in plastomic structural changes within and between individuals and species.

The Neotropics is the most species-rich area in the world, and the mechanisms that generated and maintain its biodiversity are still debated. This paper contributes to the debate by investigating the evolutionary and biogeographic history of the genus Ceiba Mill. (Malvaceae, Bombacoideae). Ceiba comprises 18 mostly Neotropical species, largely endemic to two major biomes, seasonally dry tropical forests (SDTFs) and rain forests. Its species are among the most characteristic elements of Neotropical SDTF, one of the most threatened biomes in the tropics. Phylogenetic analyses of DNA sequence data (from the nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacers [nrITS] for 30 accessions representing 14 species of Ceiba) recovered the genus as monophyletic. The phylogeny showed geographic and ecological structure in three main clades: (i) a rain forest lineage of nine accessions of C. pentandra sister to the remaining species; (ii) a highly supported clade composed of C. schottii and C. aesculifolia from Central American and Mexican SDTF, plus two accessions of C. samauma from semi-humid, inter Andean valleys in Peru; and (iii) a highly supported South American SDTF clade including 10 species showing little sequence variation. Within this South American SDTF clade, no species represented by multiple accessions were resolved as monophyletic. We demonstrate that the patterns of species age, monophyly, and geographic structure previously reported for SDTF species within the Leguminosae family are not shared by Ceiba, suggesting that further phylogenetic studies of unrelated groups are required to understand general patterns.

— Senna (Leguminosae, Cassiinae) is a speciose genus widely distributed throughout tropical and subtropical regions of the world. During taxonomic studies of Senna sect. Chamaefistula ser. Bacillares, a new endemic and endangered species from the Atlantic Forest of Bahia, Brazil was discovered. The new species, Senna bahiensis, is compared with its morphologically similar species Senna gardneri, including x-ray analysis comparison of their leaflet venation patterns. The use of high resolution x-ray digital images provided the decisive information, being a promising technique to be used in systematic studies.

Background and aims – Copaifera coriacea, a species in the resin-producing clade Detarioideae (Leguminosae), is an endemic and abundant species found in sand dunes in Brazilian Caatinga domain vegetation – a Quaternary paleodesert. We investigated floral traits and aspects of pollination biology, focusing on the pollination system of C. coriacea. Material and methods – Anthesis duration, stigma receptivity, pollen viability, nectar concentration, and the presence of osmophores and pigments reflecting UV light were assessed. Floral visitors were classified as potential pollinators, occasional pollinators or thieves, based on the time and foraging behaviour and resource collected. Pollination effectiveness were assessed for potential pollinators by the detection of pollen tubes on the stigma or stylar canal by epifluorescence microscopy.Key results – The species has white and small flowers, with anthesis beginning in the dark (ca 00:30) and the flowers are completely opened approximately 3 h later, when a sweet odour is perceptible. The onset of stigma receptivity and pollen grain viability occurs only after the completion of flower opening, and a concentrated nectar is available during the day. The presence of pollen tubes confirmed the efficiency of the main insects in the transfer of pollen. Conclusion – Our result demonstrates that C. coriacea has a generalist pollination system mediated mainly by two distinct guilds of insect pollinators: moths (nocturnal, searching for nectar) and bees (diurnal, pollen collectors). This finding can provide more information about diversification in the genus Copaifera.

Global patterns of species and evolutionary diversity in plants are primarily determined by a temperature gradient, but precipitation gradients may be more important within the tropics, where plant species richness is positively associated with the amount of rainfall. The impact of precipitation on the distribution of evolutionary diversity, however, is largely unexplored. Here we detail how evolutionary diversity varies along precipitation gradients by bringing together a comprehensive database on the composition of angiosperm tree communities across lowland tropical South America (2,025 inventories from wet to arid biomes), and a new, large-scale phylogenetic hypothesis for the genera that occur in these ecosystems. We find a marked reduction in the evolutionary diversity of communities at low precipitation. However, unlike species richness, evolutionary diversity does not continually increase with rainfall. Rather, our results show that the greatest evolutionary diversity is found in intermediate precipitation regimes, and that there is a decline in evolutionary diversity above 1,490 mm of mean annual rainfall. If conservation is to prioritise evolutionary diversity, areas of intermediate precipitation that are found in the South American ‘arc of deforestation’, but which have been neglected in the design of protected area networks in the tropics, merit increased conservation attention.

Premise of the study: Targeted enrichment methods facilitate sequencing of hundreds of nuclear loci to enhance phylogenetic resolution and elucidate why some parts of the Tree of Life are difficult (if not impossible) to resolve. The mimosoid legumes are a prominent pantropical clade of c. 3300 species of woody angiosperms for which previous phylogenies have shown extensive lack of resolution, especially among the species-rich and taxonomically challenging ingoids.Methods: We generate transcriptomes to select low-copy nuclear genes, enrich the sevia hybrid capture for representative species of most mimosoid genera and analyse the resulting data using de novo assembly and various phylogenomic tools for species tree inference. We also evaluate gene tree support and conflict for key internodes and use phylogenetic network analysis to investigate phylogenetic signal across the ingoids. Key results: Our selection of 964 nuclear genes greatly improves phylogenetic resolution across the mimosoid phylogeny and shows that the ingoid clade can be resolved into several well-supported clades. However, nearly all loci show lack of phylogenetic signal for some of the deeper internodes within the ingoids. Conclusions: Lack of resolution in the ingoid clade is most likely the result of hyper-fast diversification, potentially causing a hard polytomy of six or seven lineages. The gene set for targeted sequencing presented here offers great potential to further enhance the phylogeny of mimosoids and the wider Caesalpinioideae with denser tax on sampling, to provide a framework for taxonomic reclassification, and to study the ingoid radiation.

The taxonomic treatment of Centrosema (Leguminosae) from the State of Bahia, Brazil, is presented. Fifteen species are recognized, which represents 50% of the Centrosema species recorded in Brazil. The treatment includes keys to identification, descriptions, illustrations, general notes and geographic distribution maps for the species in Bahia.

The Neotropics is the most species-rich area in the world and the mechanisms that generated and maintain its biodiversity are still debated. This paper contributes to the debate by investigating the evolutionary and biogeographic history of the genusCeibaMill. (Malvaceae: Bombacoideae).Ceibacomprises 18 mostly neotropical species endemic to two major biomes, seasonally dry tropical forests (SDTFs) and rain forests and its species are one of the most characteristic elements of neotropical SDTF, one of the most threatened biomes in the tropics. Phylogenetic analyses of DNA sequence data from the nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacers (ITS) for 30 accessions representing 14 species ofCeibarecovered the genus as monophyletic and showed geographical and ecological structure in three main clades: (i) a rain forest lineage of nine accessions ofC. pentandrasister to the remaining species; (ii) a highly supported clade composed ofC. schottiiandC. aesculifoliafrom Central American and Mexican SDTF plus two accessions ofC. samaumafrom inter Andean valleys from Peru; and (iii) a highly supported South American SDTF clade including 10 species showing little sequence variation. Within this South American clade, no species represented by multiple accessions were resolved as monophyletic. We demonstrate that the patterns of species age, monophyly and geographical structure previously reported for SDTF species within the Leguminosae family are not shared byCeiba, suggesting that further phylogenetic studies of unrelated groups are required.HIGHLIGHTSThis paper provides a well sampled phylogeny of the iconic genusCeiba, one of the most characteristic tree genera of neotropical Seasonally Dry Tropical Forest (SDTF).There is a clear phylogenetic signal for biome preference and geographic structure inCeiba.We estimate a mid Miocene origin forCeiba, with the stem node age of the genus estimated at 21.1 Ma and the crown node age at 12.7 Ma.Ceibaspecies have young stem ages in the SDTF clade but old stem ages in rain forest species.Patterns of species age, monophyly, ecological and geographical structure reported for SDTF species are only partially shared byCeiba, an iconic genus of neotropical SDTF.

The new species Rhynchosia franciscana (Leguminosae, Papilionoideae) is described and illustrated from the seasonally dry vegetation on sand dunes of the middle Sao Francisco River in the state of Bahia, Brazil. The new species is included in Rhynchosia section Copisma, in which it can be differentiated from other species by its relatively larger flowers and wing petals that are shorter than the keel. The discovery of this narrowly endemic new plant species adds to the spectacularly rich biodiversity that has been revealed in the Caatinga seasonally dry woodlands in the middle Sao Francisco River valley over the last 30 yr.

Centrosema is a genus of the papilionoid legume tribe Phaseoleae (subtribe Clitoriinae) including about 35 species from the Neotropical region, characterized by the resupinate flowers and the standard petal provided with a spur on the outer surface. During a survey of the species from eastern Brazil, in the state of Bahia, a new species was found and is here described and illustrated. Centrosema sericiflorum differs from other species of the genus mainly by the sericeous indumentum of the outer surface of the calyx and the standard petal (vs. puberulous, pubescent, or villous). The new species occurs in semideciduous forests of the Chapada Diamantina mountain range and is only known from a restricted area in Central Bahia. It was informally assessed as Endangered following IUCN criteria because of its restricted range and occurrence in areas cleared for coffee plantation.