''Eligmocarpus'' is a genus of

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed with ...

s in the family

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

. It belongs to subfamily

Dialioideae The subfamily Dialioideae is one of the subdivisions of the plant family Fabaceae (legumes). This subfamily includes many tropical trees and shrubs. The subfamily consists of 17 genera, which are widespread throughout the tropics. It has the foll ...

. It contains a single species, ''Eligmocarpus cynometroides''. It is a tree endemic to southeastern

Madagascar Madagascar, officially the Republic of Madagascar, is an island country that includes the island of Madagascar and numerous smaller peripheral islands. Lying off the southeastern coast of Africa, it is the world's List of islands by area, f ...

.''Eligmocarpus cynometroides'' Capuron
''

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 ...

''. Retrieved 21 August 2023. Currently, it occurs only on the edge of a relatively humid spiny forest in Petriky. The species is critically endangered, with only 21 adult trees remaining as of 2012, down from 23 in 2004 and 27 in 2001. The surviving trees do have high genetic diversity. The trees' wood is used as timber by local communities, which has contributed heavily to the species' decline. Prior to human colonization, the species had used streams and rivers to carry its seeds into new biomes, in dry or spiny forests on limestone or sandy soils in humid to subarid climates. The species likely originated in the Andohahela area, which is upstream of all remaining members of the species. The species has a very low rate of seed production (about 1 seed/kg of fruit) and its seed germination is limited (<5% if not treated, increasing to 43% when soaked in cold water for 48 hours).

References

Dialioideae Monotypic Fabaceae genera Endemic flora of Madagascar Plants described in 1968 Taxa named by René Paul Raymond Capuron {{Fabaceae-stub