Dipteryx Schreb.

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

Note

The earlier affinities of this group of genera are discussed by Polhill (1981c). The analysis of Pennington et al. (2001) confirms that the three genera of Dipterygeae form a monophyletic group which is sister to elements within Swartzieae sens. lat. and Sophoreae sens. lat. (Fig. 30). The Amazonian genus Monopteryx (treated here in tribe Sophoreae) may belong with this group (Lima, pers. comm.). Two of the three genera in Dipterygeae are essentially Amazonian wet forest in distribution (Dipteryx also occurring in Central America with a single species to drier areas in central Brazil, Bolivia and Paraguay), while Pterodon inhabits the drier areas of east and central Brazil and east Bolivia. Wood anatomy has proved diagnostic, particularly in distinguishing between Dipteryx and Taralea (Gasson, 1999), and this has underpinned the conclusions of Lewis & Gasson (2000). The tribe as treated here comprises c. 22 species.

Habit

Trees

Ecology

Tropical rain forest (riverine and usually non-inundated) to seasonally dry forest (some on white sand) and woodland (cerrado)

Distribution

S America (mostly Amazonian [4 spp. in Venezuela]; 2 spp. to C America [Panama to Honduras]; 1 sp. to drier areas of C Brazil, E Bolivia and Paraguay)

Use

A subgroup of c. 3 species produce fragrant coumarin-yielding seeds, e.g., D. odorata (Aubl.) Willd. (cumaru, tonka bean, sarrapia, almendro) is a major source of coumarin whose vanilla-like fragrance is used for scenting tobacco, snuff and confectionery, and is an ingredient of perfumes and cosmetics; the beans also yield a high percentage of solid fat or tonka butter which is used to flavour food; plants produce balsam resins (oleoresin) and red gums from the leaves, stems and bark; 1 species bears pods with a sweet, edible pericarp; the hard wood is generally used for heavy construction, flooring, shafts, bearings, veneers and in craft objects; also used for charcoal and medicine