Dipteryx is a genus containing a number of species of large trees and possibly shrubs. It belongs to the “papilionoid” subfamily – Faboideae – of the legume family (Fabaceae). This genus is native to South and Central America and the Caribbean. Formerly, the related genus Taralea was included in Dipteryx.
The largest members of Dipteryx are canopy-emergent trees of tropical rainforests. The tonka bean (D. odorata) is grown for its fragrant seeds. baru (D. alata) is the only species which found in drier, seasonal areas, growing in the cerrado of Brazil; its fruit and seeds are used as food and fodder. Several species are used for timber, of which almendro (D. oleifera) wood is considered desirable, especially locally.[2][3]
Dipteryx can be distinguished from other members of the Dipterygeae by its compound leaves with asymmetric leaflets caused due to an eccentric primary vein, a drupaceous fruit, seeds with a leathery skin, a hilum in a lateral or subapical position and a rugose embryo with a conspicuous plumule.[4]
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