''Philenoptera'' is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

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 legume

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

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

. It includes 11 species of trees, shrubs, and more rarely

liana A liana is a long-Plant stem, stemmed Woody plant, woody vine that is rooted in the soil at ground level and uses trees, as well as other means of vertical support, to climb up to the Canopy (biology), canopy in search of direct sunlight. T ...

s native to sub-Saharan Africa. Typical habitats include seasonally-dry tropical forest, woodland, wooded grassland, and bushland. Four species are native to the

Zambezian region The Zambezian region is a large biogeographical region in Africa. The Zambezian region includes woodlands, savannas, grasslands, and thickets, extending from east to west in a broad belt across the continent. The Zambezian region lies south of th ...

, 3 species to the Sudanian region, 2 species to the Zanzibar-Inhambane and Tongaland-Pondoland regions, 1 species to the Somali-Masai region, 1 species to the

Guineo-Congolian region The Guineo-Congolian region is a biogeographical region in Africa straddling the Equator and stretching from the Atlantic Ocean through the Congo Basin to the Congo / Nile divide in Rwanda and Burundi. Formerly, this region was largely covered in ...

, and 1 to

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 ...

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: *'' Philenoptera bussei'' (Harms) Schrire *'' Philenoptera cyanescens'' (Schumach. & Thonn.) Roberty *'' Philenoptera eriocalyx'' (Harms) Schrire *'' Philenoptera kanurii'' (Brenan & J.B.Gillett) Schrire *'' Philenoptera katangensis'' (De Wild.) Schrire *''

Philenoptera laxiflora ''Philenoptera laxiflora'', synonym ''Lonchocarpus laxiflorus'', is a species of legume in the family Fabaceae. The tree grows to 4–8 meters in height, has grey or yellowish bark and compound leaves. New leaves are accompanied by purple flowers ...

'' (Guill. & Perr.) Roberty *'' Philenoptera nelsii'' (Schinz) Schrire *'' Philenoptera pallescens'' (Welw. ex Baker) Schrire *'' Philenoptera sutherlandii'' (Harv.) Schrire *''

Philenoptera violacea ''Philenoptera violacea'' known also as apple leaf or rain tree, , , , , IsiNdebele: Ichithamuzi, Idungamuzi, Iphanda) is a plant species in the legume family (Fabaceae). Etymology The name is derived from the drops of water that fall from th ...

'' (Klotzsch) Schrire *'' Philenoptera wankieensis'' (Mendonça & E.P.Sousa) Lock

References

Millettieae Fabaceae genera Flora of the Afrotropical realm {{Millettieae-stub