Andira is a genus of flowering plants in the legume family, Fabaceae. It is distributed in the tropical Americas, except for A. inermis, which also occurs in Africa.[2] It was formerly assigned to the tribe Dalbergieae, but recent molecular phylogenetic evidence has placed it in a unique clade named the Andira clade.[3][4]
Compared to other Faboideae the genus has unusual systems of root nodules[2] and fruits, which are drupes. In most species the fruits are dispersed by bats, and in some they are dispersed by rodents. They may also be dispersed on water.[5]
Plants of the genus are used in traditional medicine in Brazil to treat fever and as purgatives and vermifuges. The treatments are toxic in high doses, however. Chemical compounds isolated from the genus include isoflavones, flavanols, glycosides, pterocarpans, chromone, and ursolic acid.[6]
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