Punjuba Britton & Rose (1928: 28) .

Lectotype: Pithecellobium racemiflorum Donn. Sm. (1913: 57) ≡ Punjuba racemiflora (Donn.Sm.) Britton & Rose (1928: 28) .

Figure 1

Shrubs and trees unarmed; stipules usually deciduous; branches indumented to glabrescent. Leaves bipinnate, alternate with 1–5 pairs of pinnae; nectaries sessile between pinnae and leaflets pairs; petiolate to subsessile leaflets, symmetrical, elliptical, ovate, oblong, or lanceolate, indumented or not, secondary ribs arched, eucamptodromous or brochidodromous venation. Inflorescence axillary, long-racemose or spiciform, bracteoles generally caducous. Flowers pedicellate or sessile, homomorphic, pentamerous; calyx gamosepalous, indumented or not; corolla gamopetalous, glabrous or pilose; androecium with many stamens, exserted; filaments fused into a tube, with a stemonozone; anthers rimose; ovary superior; stigma punctiform. Pods a compressed or flattened legume, the valves chartaceous, curved to spiral, epicarp smooth, not pulverulent and generally with a red endocarp. Seeds translucent lacking pleurogram, funicle persistent; embryo invaginate, bluish cotyledons.

Distribution: — The genus is distributed in the Andean valleys of Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, with Punjuba racemiflora reaching Central America in Costa Rica and Panama (Fig. 1).

SIX SPECIES. Punjuba callejasii, Punjuba centiflora, Punjuba foreroana, Punjuba killipii, Punjuba lehmannii and Punjuba racemiflora .

Identification key to species of Punjuba

1. Inflorescences spiciform; flowers sessile ...........................................................................................................................................2

- Inflorescences long-racemose; flowers pedicellate, pedicels 0.1–0.7 cm ..........................................................................................4

2. Leaflets 12–18 pairs per pinnae, 0.8–1.3 × 0.5–0.7 cm, adaxial surface glabrous.......................................................... P. foreroana

- Leaflets 3–7 pairs per pinnae, 2.5–16 × 1.5–6 cm, adaxial surface pubescent or puberulent, at least on the central vein ................3

3. Leaflets 5–7 pairs per pinnae, both surface pubescent, strongly discolor, margin revolute............................................ P. lehmannii

- Leaflets 3–6 pairs per pinnae, glabrous to minutely puberulent on the adaxial surface, concolor, margin plain ................. P. killipii

4. Inflorescence peduncles 5.5–11 cm long, and axis 12–20 cm long; flowers pedicels 0.5–0.7 cm .............................. P. racemiflora

- Inflorescence peduncles 1.5–6 cm long, and axis 2.5–8 cm long; flowers pedicels 0.1–0.2 cm .......................................................5

5. Leaflets 4–5 pairs per pinnae, adaxial surfaces puberulent on the central vein, petioles 7–8 cm long; flowers pedicels 0.1 cm long .......................................................................................................................................................................................... P. centiflora

- Leaflets 2–3 pairs per pinnae, both surfaces glabrous, petioles 1–2 cm long; flowers pedicels 0.2 cm long................... P. callejasii