Pithecellobium hymenaeafolium (Willd.) Benth.

Crece en climas húmedos y a veces ripario.

Distribucion en Costa Rica: Conocida de la Península de Nicoya (Guanacaste), Reserva Biológica Carara y recientemente encontrada en la localidad de Fila Carbonera, Península de Osa; de 0 a 50 m de altitud.
Distribucion General: Panamá, Colombia y Venezuela.

Arbusto.

Arbusto de semiescandente o liana, estípulas espinescentes 1 cm de largo, ramitas glabras, amarillentas. Hojas bipinnadas, alternas, con un par de pinnas, 2 folíolos por pinna, de (4,5-)6-13 por 2-6 cm, asimétricamente ovados u ovado-lanceolados, ápice agudo, glabros.

Inflorescencia en espigas de 3 a 8(-14) cm de largo. Flores blancas de 7 a 12 mm de largo. Frutos tipo legumbres aplanadas, de 7-10 por 1,5-2 cm, algo curvados, torciéndose al abrirse y rojos en el interior, abriéndose por el margen inferior, las valvas rugosas y diminuto-pubescentes.

DIAGNÁSTICO: Se caracteriza por su hábito de arbusto escandente, ramitas con espinas gruesas y recurvadas e inflorescencias con muchas flores con el tubo estaminal largo-exserto.

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Pithecellobium macrosiphon Standley, Contr. U. S. Nat. Herb 20: 191. 1919.
Twigs puberulent, becoming glabrate. Stipular spines ascending, 5-6 mm. long; petioles glabrous, 1.5-5 cm. long, bearing a crateriform apical gland; pinnae 1 pair; leaflets 1 pair, elliptic, subcoriaceous, glabrous, 3-7 cm. long, obtuse; peduncles puberulent; spikes dense, 5-6 cm. long; bractlets deltoid, minute; flowers densely puberulent; calyx only about 1 mm. long; corolla about 6 mm. long, stamen-tube nearly 2 cm. long; ovary sessile; legume hard, thick, 1.5-1.8 cm. wide; seeds compressed, dark brown.
Type locality: Between Tumbala and El Salta, Chiapas. Distribution: Chiapas.

Pithecellobium hondurense Britton & Rose, sp. nov
Twigs stout, puberulent when young; stipular spines very short or wanting. Petioles stout, glabrous, about 2 cm. long or shorter, the apical gland oval, cupulate; pinnae 1 pair; leaflets 1 pair, oblong-lanceolate, 8-11 cm. long, 4—5 cm. wide, acuminate, lustrous above, reticulate-veined, glabrous; spikes 1.5-3 cm. long, solitary in the axils and clustered at the ends of the twigs on short puberulent peduncles; bractlets deltoid, acute, 1 ram. long; calyx puberulent,' 1 mm. long; corolla puberulent, 8 mm. long; stamen-tube somewhat exserted.
Low forest, Moho River, British Honduras, March 16, 1907, M. E. Peck 721.

Pithecellobium microstachyum Standley, Journ. Wash. Acad 13: 439. 1923.
A tree, 6-7.5 m. high, the young twigs puberulent or pilulose. Stipular spines 0.5-1.5 cm. long; petioles slender, glabrous or puberulent, the apical gland short-columnar; pinnae 1 pair; leaflets 1 pair, chartaceous, glabrous, or when young, ciliate, oblong-lanceolate tooblongobovate, obtuse, 2-7.5 cm. long, or upper ones much smaller; peduncles slender, pilulose; spikes slender, panicled, 1-3 cm. long, the rachis pilulose; branchlets lanceolate, persistent, nearly as long as the calyx; flowers whitish, puberulent; calyx only about 1 mm. long; corolla about 2 mm. long; stamen-tube about 2 mm. long; legume short-stipitate, curved or coiled, glabrate, 8-10 mm. wide; seeds black.
Type locality: La Union, El Salvador. Distribution: El Salvador and Honduras.

Pithecellobium panamense Duch. & Walp. Linnaea 23 : 746. 1850.
A shrub or small tree up to about 4 m. high, the twigs glabrous. Petioles stout, glabrous, 1-3.5 cm. long, bearing an apical cupulate gland; stipular spines stout, 6-8 mm. long; pinnae 1 pair; leaflets 1 pair, ovate to ovate-lanceolate, 4-8 cm. long, coriaceous, obtuse, glabrous; Ijeduncles stout, puberulent, 2-4 cm. long; rachis puberulent; bractlets ovate, about 1 mm. long; spikes dense, 6-12 cm. long; flowers puberulent, white; calyx 2.5 mm. long; corolla about 12 mm. long; stamen-tube 2-2.5 cm. long; ovary sessile; legume 7-10 cm. long, falcate, compressed, 2-3-seeded; seeds black.
Type locality: Isthmus of Panama. Distribution: Panama and Colombia.

Pithecellobium hymenaeafolium là một loài thực vật có hoa trong họ Đậu. Loài này được (Willd.) Benth. miêu tả khoa học đầu tiên.