Monographs Details:
Authority:

Cowan, Richard S. 1967. Swartzia (Leguminosae, Caesalpinioideae Swartzieae). Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 1: 3-228. (Published by NYBG Press)
Family:

Fabaceae
Synonyms:

Swartzia triphylla var. grandiflora Raddi, Mimosa crocea Vell., Swartzia grandiflora J.F.Gmel., Swartzia crocea (Vell.) Benth., Tounatea crocea (Vell.) Taub., Tunatea crocea (Vell.) Kuntze, Swartzia darienensis Pittier, Swartzia trifolia Pittier, Tounatea trifolia (Pittier) Britton & Rose, Tounatea cuneata Britton, Tounatea johnsonii Britton, Tounatea darienensis (Pittier) Britton & Rose, Tounatea subcoriacea Britton, Swartzia simplex var. darienensis (Pittier) Schery
Description:

Description - Leaves mostly trifoliolate but sometimes partly unifoliolate, the petioles distinctly winged or margined, the petiolules 0.5-1.5 mm long.

Discussion:

The collection cited by Vogel under S. grandiflora Willdenow is properly referred to this variety but Willdenow’s S. grandiflora is a direct transfer of Vahl’s Ritter a grandiflora, a synonym of var. simplex. Thus, Vogel’s use of the name represents a misidentification rather than a true synonym but it has appeared so often in the literature that it seems worth including in the synonymy with this explanation. Vellozo’s Mimosa crocea, the basionym for the commonly used epithet for this taxon, is surely synonymous; the only thing authentic on which to make a decision is the plate, which though crude, appears to represent this variety better than any other taxon. The remainder of the synomyms listed is the result of either misinterpretation or of recognition of miscellaneous variants with no apparent taxonomic or biologic significance.

Var. grandiflora has two centers in which it is apparently a frequent to common component of the lowland forest from sea-level to 250 m alt.: one is in Costa Rica and Panama, the other in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Some of the material at the outer fringe of the range is worth noting. The Bolivian collections have come from much higher elevations than is typical for the variety, about 500-750 m. The material from Baia, Brazil is not quite typical, suggesting a possible mixture with S. myrtifolia var. elegans.
Distribution:

Mexico North America| Veracruz Mexico North America| Guatemala Central America| Costa Rica South America| Alajuela Costa Rica Central America| Panama Central America| Canal Zone Panamá Central America| Panamá Panama Central America| Darién Panamá Central America| Colombia South America| Magdalena Colombia South America| Venezuela South America| Yaracuy Venezuela South America| Lara Venezuela South America| Peru South America| Lima Peru South America| Bolivia South America| La Paz Bolivia South America| Brazil South America| Pará Brazil South America| Bahia Brazil South America| Rio de Janeiro Brazil South America| Guanabara Brazil South America| Rio Grande do Sul Brazil South America|

Common Names:

Caramuca, Laranjeira do mato, maçutayba, naranja