Open AccessHymenaea mexicana sp. nov. (Leguminosae: Caesalpinioideae) from Mexican amber indicates Old World connections
Author(s) -
JR GEORGE POINAR,
BROWN ALEX E.
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
botanical journal of the linnean society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.872
H-Index - 68
eISSN - 1095-8339
pISSN - 0024-4074
DOI - 10.1046/j.1095-8339.2002.00053.x
Subject(s) - caesalpinioideae , biology , botany , old world , zoology , fabaceae
Hymenaea mexicanasp. nov. is described in amber originating from mines of Chiapas, Mexico. The species is characterized by clawed showy petals with cordate bases and glabrous, verrucose ovaries with long hirsute hairs at their bases and margins on one side. This species is closely related to the extinct Hymenaea protera from Dominican amber, and together with it, is placed in the primitive section Trachylobium of the genus Hymenaea in the caesalpinoid legumes. The closest extant species to H. mexicana is H. verrucosa , a relict surviving in East Africa. These results challenge previous views that Mexican amber was produced by the South American species H. courbaril – H. intermedia , which belong to the advanced section of the genus. © 2002 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society , 2002, 139 , 125–132.