Adinobotrys is a small genus of evergreen flowering trees in the legume family Fabaceae (order Fabales), native to Indo-China and western Malesia. Unlike many of their closest relatives in the broader wisteria alliance, Adinobotrys species grow as trees rather than lianas. Their flowers are papilionaceous (butterfly-shaped), with glabrous (hairless) standard petals and wing petals approximately equal in length to the keel petals — a combination of characters that distinguishes the genus within its immediate taxonomic neighbourhood.
The genus was first described by the British botanist Stephen Troyte Dunn in 1911. For much of the twentieth century its status was uncertain: in 1994, botanist Anne M. Schot transferred most Adinobotrys species into the genus Callerya, with the remaining species moved to Afgekia. A molecular phylogenetic study published in 2019 demonstrated that Adinobotrys was not in fact closely related to Callerya, leading to the genus being formally resurrected with two species. Two additional species were added in 2020, and as of late 2022 Plants of the World Online recognised four accepted species: Adinobotrys atropurpureus, Adinobotrys katinganensis, Adinobotrys sarawakensis, and Adinobotrys vastus.
Taxonomy Notes
Adinobotrys was first described by Stephen Troyte Dunn in 1911. In 1994 most of its species were transferred to Callerya by Anne M. Schot, with the remainder moved to Afgekia. A 2019 molecular phylogenetic study showed Adinobotrys is not closely related to Callerya and resurrected the genus; two further species were added in 2020, bringing the total to four accepted species by 2022.
Distribution
Adinobotrys is native to Indo-China and western Malesia, a region encompassing parts of mainland Southeast Asia and the western portion of the Malay Archipelago.
