''Simarouba'' is a genus of trees and shrubs in the family

Simaroubaceae The Simaroubaceae are a small, mostly tropical, family in the order Sapindales. In recent decades, it has been subject to much taxonomic debate, with several small families being split off. A molecular phylogeny of the family was published in 200 ...

, native to the

neotropics The Neotropical realm is one of the eight biogeographic realms constituting Earth's land surface. Physically, it includes the tropical terrestrial ecoregions of the Americas and the entire South American temperate zone. Definition In bi ...

. It has been grouped in the subtribe Simaroubina along with the '' Simaba'' and ''

Quassia ''Quassia'' ( or ) is a plant genus in the family Simaroubaceae. Its size is disputed; some botanists treat it as consisting of only one species, '' Quassia amara'' from tropical South America, while others treat it in a wide circumscription as ...

'' genera. They have

compound leaves A leaf ( : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, ste ...

, with between 1 and 12 pairs of alternate pinnate leaflets. Their flowers are unisexual, relatively small (around 1 cm long) and arranged in large

panicle A panicle is a much-branched inflorescence. (softcover ). Some authors distinguish it from a compound spike inflorescence, by requiring that the flowers (and fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is ...

s. Plants are

dioecious Dioecy (; ; adj. dioecious , ) is a characteristic of a species, meaning that it has distinct individual organisms (unisexual) that produce male or female gametes, either directly (in animals) or indirectly (in seed plants). Dioecious reproducti ...

, bearing only male or female flowers. The individual flowers have between 4 and 6

sepal A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106 The term ''sepalum'' was coined ...

s and

petal Petals are modified leaves that surround the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often brightly colored or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''corolla''. Petals are usuall ...

s and between 8 and 12

stamen The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filam ...

s. The fruit is a carpophore and has up to 5 drupaceous mericarps.

Adolf Engler Heinrich Gustav Adolf Engler (25 March 1844 – 10 October 1930) was a German botanist. He is notable for his work on plant taxonomy and phytogeography, such as ''Die natürlichen Pflanzenfamilien'' (''The Natural Plant Families''), edited with ...

and

Arthur Cronquist Arthur John Cronquist (March 19, 1919 – March 22, 1992) was an American biologist, botanist and a specialist on Compositae. He is considered one of the most influential botanists of the 20th century, largely due to his formulation of the ...

separated the species in the genus, based mainly on the morphology of their flowers, but also using differences in their leaf structure. ''S. amara'', ''S. glauca'' and ''S. versicolor'' are continental tree species and are often confused with each other, particularly in areas where more than one species is present in the flora. ''S. amara'' can be distinguished by having smaller flowers and anthers than ''S. glauca'' and ''S. versicolor'' and by it having straight, rather than curved petals; its fruit are also smaller. ''S. glauca'' can be distinguished by the lack of

trichome Trichomes (); ) are fine outgrowths or appendages on plants, algae, lichens, and certain protists. They are of diverse structure and function. Examples are hairs, glandular hairs, scales, and papillae. A covering of any kind of hair on a pl ...

s on its leaves compared with those of ''S. versicolor'', which has dense

tomentose Trichomes (); ) are fine outgrowths or appendages on plants, algae, lichens, and certain protists. They are of diverse structure and function. Examples are hairs, glandular hairs, scales, and papillae. A covering of any kind of hair on a plan ...

leaves. ''S. versicolor'' has a greater variation in flower size than ''S. glauca'' and the leaf veins of ''S. glauca'' are generally more evident than those of ''S. versicolor''. Geographically, ''S. glauca'' and ''S. versicolor'' are easy to distinguish since the southerly range of ''S. glauca'' is limited to Panama, whereas ''S. versicolor'' is only found in South America. A phylogenetic analysis in 1995 based on the large sub-unit of

rubisco Ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase-oxygenase, commonly known by the abbreviations RuBisCo, rubisco, RuBPCase, or RuBPco, is an enzyme () involved in the first major step of carbon fixation, a process by which atmospheric carbon dioxide is co ...

suggested that ''Simarouba'' was most closely related to the ''

Leitneria ''Leitneria floridana'' (corkwood), the sole species in the genus ''Leitneria'', is a deciduous dioecious shrub or small tree, found only in the southern United States states of Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Missouri and Texas. It grows ...

'' and ''

Ailanthus ''Ailanthus'' (; derived from ''ailanto,'' an Ambonese word probably meaning "tree of the gods" or "tree of heaven") is a genus of trees belonging to the family Simaroubaceae, in the order Sapindales (formerly Rutales or Geraniales). The genus ...

'' genera, but a later study in 2007, based on three chloroplastic genes and one nuclear gene, found it was most closely related to ''

Pierreodendron ''Pierreodendron'' is a genus of plants in the family Simaroubaceae. Its native range is western tropical Africa and is found in Angola, Benin, Cameroon, Congo, Gabon, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Nigeria, Togo and Zaïre. The genus name of ''Pi ...

'' and '' Simaba''. Simarouba tulae

''S. berteroana'', ''S. laevis'' and ''S. tulae'' are endemic to the Caribbean islands.

Discovery and uses

In 1713, the genus was discovered by French explorers. Between 1718 and 1725, the bark was exported to France where it was used to treat an epidemic of

dysentery Dysentery (UK pronunciation: , US: ), historically known as the bloody flux, is a type of gastroenteritis that results in bloody diarrhea. Other symptoms may include fever, abdominal pain, and a feeling of incomplete defecation. Complication ...

. The bark of ''Simarouba'' species has been used by indigenous tribes as a tea to treat many diseases. The seeds of ''

Simarouba glauca ''Simarouba glauca'' is a flowering tree that is native to Florida, South America, and the Caribbean. Common names include paradise-tree, dysentery-bark, bitterwood . The tree is well suited for warm, humid, tropical regions. Its cultivation dep ...

'' have been proposed as suitable for producing

edible oil Cooking oil is plant, animal, or synthetic liquid fat used in frying, baking, and other types of cooking. It is also used in food preparation and flavoring not involving heat, such as salad dressings and bread dips, and may be called edible oi ...

s in India. ''

Simarouba amara ''Simarouba amara'' is a species of tree in the family Simaroubaceae, found in the rainforests and savannahs of South and Central America and the Caribbean. It was first described by Aubl. in French Guiana in 1775 and is one of six species of ...

'' is harvested for

timber Lumber is wood that has been processed into dimensional lumber, including Beam (structure), beams and plank (wood), planks or boards, a stage in the process of wood production. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as fini ...

, with its bright and lightweight timber being highly sought after in European markets to use in making fine furniture and veneers. ''

'', also known as Lakshmi Taru in India, is also valued for its wood.

Ecology

The alianthus webworm ('' Atteva aurea'') is a pest of the genus ''Simarouba''.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q3308399 Simaroubaceae Sapindales genera Dioecious plants