Fabaceae

Guibourtia Benn.

First published in J. Proc. Linn. Soc., Bot. 1: 149 (1857)
This genus is accepted
The native range of this genus is Bolivia to Brazil and Paraguay, Cuba, Tropical & S. Africa.

Descriptions

Leguminosae, J. B. Gillett, R. M. Polhill & B. Verdcourt. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1971

Morphology General Habit
Unarmed evergreen trees
Morphology Leaves
Leaves with a single pair of leaflets, or rarely (not in East Africa) with a single leaflet; stipules free, usually small and caducous; leaflets opposite, asymmetric, usually with numerous pellucid gland-dots
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence paniculate; flowers sessile or pedicellate, spirally arranged along the spicate or racemose ultimate branches; bracteoles small, persistent or falling before the flowers open
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Sepals 4, imbricate (2 outer, 2 inner)
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Petals 0
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Stamens (8–)10(–12, fide Léonard); filaments free, glabrous
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil
Ovary stipitate or sessile; ovules 2–4; style elongate, ending in a capitate stigma
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Pods indehiscent or (not in East Africa) dehiscent along one suture, compressed, thick or thin
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds solitary, large.
[FTEA]

Legumes of the World. Edited by G. Lewis, B. Schrire, B. MacKinder & M. Lock. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. (2005)

Vernacular
bubinga, akume, ovangkol, hyedua
Habit
Trees or shrubs
Ecology
Tropical lowland (sometimes swampy or seasonally inundated) rain forest, seasonally dry forest, woodland, bushland and thicket, often along rivers and on sandy soils
Distribution
Africa (Guinea-Congolean WC Africa [7 spp.]; dryland S tropical Zambezian [c. 3 spp.] and N tropical Sudanian [1 sp.] regions, and c. 2 spp. in Zanzibar-Inhambane E Africa), with a single neotropical species disjunct between Cuba and seasonally dry E Brazil, Paraguay and Bolivia
Note
Moderately well supported as sister to Hymenaea by Herendeen et al. (2003a); see taxonomic notes under Hymenaea. Barneby (1996) united a number of S American species occupying discontinuous, seasonally dry distributions under the single species G. hymenaeifolia (Moric.) J.Léonard
[LOWO]

Leguminosae, R.K. Brummitt, A.C. Chikuni, J.M. Lock & R.M. Polhill. Flora Zambesiaca 3:2. 2007

Morphology General Habit
Trees or shrubs, evergreen, unarmed.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves unijugate, elsewhere sometimes unifoliolate and in G. conjugata leaflets occasionally fused; leaflets with a main nerve and sometimes several secondary lateral nerves from the base, often with pellucid gland dots; petiolule ± twisted (the distal margin of the leaflet arising higher and in a different plane); stipules small, falling very early.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence paniculate, of groups of spikes.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers spirally arranged on the inflorescence axis; bracts small, caducous or subpersistent; bracteoles 2, small, caducous or subpersistent, not enclosing the bud.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Hypanthium
Hypanthium absent.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx lobes 4, unequal (2 outer, 2 inner), imbricate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Petals absent.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Stamens usually 10; filaments alternately long and short in the bud; anthers dorsifixed, dehiscing by longitudinal slits.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil
Ovary stipitate or sessile; ovules usually 2; style elongate, filiform; stigma terminal, capitate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Pods suborbicular or obliquely elliptic, either coriaceous and tardily dehiscent, or chartaceous and indehiscent.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds 1(2) without an areole, with a fleshy aril enveloping the seed, or without.
[FZ]

Uses

Use
Various species used for timber ( bubinga, akume, ovangkol, hyedua ), e.g., in high quality furniture, cabinet work, joinery, panelling, veneers, heavy carpentry, implement handles, boat masts, for firewood and charcoal; gum-copal (for incense, coating pills, varnishes, illuminants and mosquito repellents), medicine, fish poisons and (in at least one species) edible seeds
[LOWO]

Sources

  • Flora Zambesiaca

    • Flora Zambesiaca
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of Tropical East Africa

    • Flora of Tropical East Africa
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Legumes of the World Online

    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • World Checklist of Vascular plants (WCVP)

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0