''Andira'' is a genus of flowering plants in the

legume Legumes are plants in the pea family Fabaceae (or Leguminosae), or the fruit or seeds of such plants. When used as a dry grain for human consumption, the seeds are also called pulses. Legumes are grown agriculturally, primarily for human consum ...

family,

Fabaceae Fabaceae () or Leguminosae,International Code of Nomen ...

. It is distributed in the

tropical The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the equator, where the sun may shine directly overhead. This contrasts with the temperate or polar regions of Earth, where the Sun can never be directly overhead. This is because of Earth's ax ...

Americas, except for ''A. inermis'', which also occurs in

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

. It was formerly assigned to the tribe

Dalbergieae The tribe Dalbergieae is an early-branching clade within the flowering plant subfamily Faboideae (or Papilionaceae). Within that subfamily, it belongs to an unranked clade called the dalbergioids. It was recently revised to include many genera ...

, but

molecular phylogenetic Molecular phylogenetics () is the branch of phylogeny that analyzes genetic, hereditary molecular differences, predominantly in DNA sequences, to gain information on an organism's evolutionary relationships. From these analyses, it is possible to ...

studies in 2012 and 2013 placed it in a unique clade within subfamily

Faboideae The Faboideae are a subfamily of the flowering plant family Fabaceae or Leguminosae. An acceptable alternative name for the subfamily is Papilionoideae, or Papilionaceae when this group of plants is treated as a family. This subfamily is widely ...

named the ''Andira'' clade. Compared to other

the genus has unusual systems of

root nodule Root nodules are found on the roots of plants, primarily legumes, that form a symbiosis with nitrogen-fixing bacteria. Under nitrogen-limiting conditions, capable plants form a symbiotic relationship with a host-specific strain of bacteria known ...

s and fruits, which are

drupe In botany, a drupe (or stone fruit) is a type of fruit in which an outer fleshy part (exocarp, or skin, and mesocarp, or flesh) surrounds a single shell (the ''pip'' (UK), ''pit'' (US), ''stone'', or ''pyrena'') of hardened endocarp with a seed ...

s. In most species the fruits are dispersed by

bat Bats are flying mammals of the order Chiroptera (). With their forelimbs adapted as wings, they are the only mammals capable of true and sustained flight. Bats are more agile in flight than most birds, flying with their very long spread-out ...

s, and in some they are dispersed by

rodent Rodents (from Latin , 'to gnaw') are mammals of the Order (biology), order Rodentia ( ), which are characterized by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and Mandible, lower jaws. About 40% of all mammal specie ...

s. They may also be dispersed on water. Plants of the genus are used in

traditional medicine Traditional medicine (also known as indigenous medicine or folk medicine) refers to the knowledge, skills, and practices rooted in the cultural beliefs of various societies, especially Indigenous groups, used for maintaining health and treatin ...

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

to treat

fever Fever or pyrexia in humans is a symptom of an anti-infection defense mechanism that appears with Human body temperature, body temperature exceeding the normal range caused by an increase in the body's temperature Human body temperature#Fever, s ...

and as purgatives and vermifuges. The treatments are toxic in high doses, however. Chemical compounds isolated from the genus include isoflavones,

flavanols Flavan-3-ols (sometimes referred to as flavanols) are a subgroup of flavonoids. They are derivatives of flavans that possess a 2-phenyl-3,4-dihydro-2''H''-chromen-3-ol skeleton. Flavan-3-ols are structurally diverse and include a range of comp ...

glycoside In chemistry, a glycoside is a molecule in which a sugar is bound to another functional group via a glycosidic bond. Glycosides play numerous important roles in living organisms. Many plants store chemicals in the form of inactive glycosides. ...

pterocarpan Pterocarpans are derivatives of isoflavonoids found in the family Fabaceae. It is a group of compounds which can be described as benzo-pyrano-furano-benzenes (i.e. 6''H''- enzofuro

,2-c The comma is a punctuation mark that appears in several variants in different languages. Some typefaces render it as a small line, slightly curved or straight, but inclined from the vertical; others give it the appearance of a miniature fille ...

hromene skeleton) which can be formed by coupling of th ...

chromone Chromone (or 1,4-benzopyrone) is a derivative of benzopyran with a substituted keto group on the pyran ring. It is an isomer of coumarin. Derivatives of chromone are collectively known as ''chromones''. Most, though not all, chromones are also ...

, and ursolic acid.

Species

Plants of the World Online Plants of the World Online (POWO) is an online taxonomic database published by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. History Following the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew launched Plants of the World Online i ...

accepted the following species: *'' Andira anthelmia'' (Vell.) J.F.Macbr. *'' Andira carvalhoi'' R.T.Penn. & H.C.Lima *'' Andira chigorodensis'' R.T.Penn. *'' Andira cordata'' Arroyo ex R.T.Penn. & H.C.Lima *'' Andira coriacea'' Pulle *'' Andira cubensis'' Benth. *'' Andira cujabensis'' Benth. *'' Andira fraxinifolia'' Benth. *'' Andira galeottiana'' Standl. *'' Andira grandistipula'' Amshoff *'' Andira humilis'' Mart. ex Benth. *'' Andira inermis'' (W.Wright) Kunth ex DC. *'' Andira jaliscensis'' R.T.Penn. *'' Andira legalis'' (Vell.) Toledo *'' Andira macrocarpa'' R.T.Penn. *'' Andira macrothyrsa'' Ducke *'' Andira marauensis'' Mattos *'' Andira micrantha'' Ducke *'' Andira multistipula'' Ducke *'' Andira nitida'' Mart. ex Benth. *'' Andira ormosioides'' Benth. *'' Andira parviflora'' Ducke *'' Andira praecox'' Arroyo ex R.T.Penn. *'' Andira spectabilis'' Saldanha *'' Andira surinamensis'' (Bondt) Splitg. ex Pulle *'' Andira taurotesticulata'' R.T.Penn. *'' Andira tervequinata'' R.T.Penn., Aymard & Cuello *'' Andira trifoliolata'' Ducke *'' Andira unifoliolata'' Ducke *'' Andira vermifuga'' (Mart.) Benth. File:Andira fraxinifolia.jpg, '' Andira fraxinifolia'' File:Flickr - João de Deus Medeiros - Andira vermifuga.jpg, '' Andira vermifuga''

References

{{Authority control Faboideae Taxonomy articles created by Polbot Fabaceae genera