Dipteryx
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Authority
Maguire, Bassett & Wurdack, John J. 1958. The botany of the Guayana Highland--Part III. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 10: 1-156.
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Family
Fabaceae
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Scientific Name
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Discussion
There are some annoying nomenclatural muddles and some very interesting morphological features in this genus, which the writer proposes to study subsequently in the course of a complete review of the group. At this time, however, several notes are necessary to validate combinations used in the identifications of numerous recent collections. Most of these nomenclatural changes have become necessary through the conservation of the generic name Dipteryx (sensu lato) over Coumarouna Aubl., Taralea Aubl., and two less-known names. Dueke, Macbride, and others have held that Taralea can be distinguished from Dipteryx (Coumarouna) but the only difference is in the fruits. A drupaceous, indehiscent fruit characterizes Dipteryx while Taralea has laterally compressed, dry, woody pods. However, in other respects, especially in the flowers, there are no consistent, important differences. If the fruiting characters are sufficiently important to override other considerations in delimiting genera in this complex, then we must be prepared to accept the equally unnatural, multitudinous segregates (often based primarily on fruiting characters) in such genera as Astragalus, Cassia, Acacia, and Mimosa. It might be just as useful and certainly more consistent with phylogeny to consider such segregates as subgenera or sections, as Bentham and others have done in many of these complex genera.