Andira is a genus of tropical flowering plants in the legume family Fabaceae, order Fabales, described by Lamarck and published in Encyclopédie (1783). The genus comprises roughly 30–40 species of trees and shrubs distributed across the tropical Americas, with a single exception — Andira inermis — which also occurs in West Africa, making it one of the few legume genera with an amphi-Atlantic distribution.
Andira was long assigned to the tribe Dalbergieae, but molecular phylogenetic studies published in 2012 and 2013 revealed that the genus forms a distinct evolutionary lineage within the subfamily Faboideae. This lineage is now recognised as the Andira clade, separating it from the core Dalbergieae.
Morphologically, Andira is notable within Faboideae for two unusual traits: an atypical root-nodule system and drupaceous fruits — fleshy, one-seeded, stone-fruits — rather than the dehiscent pods typical of most legumes. Fruit dispersal in the genus is predominantly zoochorous: most species rely on bats, while others are dispersed by rodents. Seeds may also be carried on water.
The genus has a long history of use in traditional Brazilian medicine, where preparations from bark and leaves have been employed to treat fevers and as purgatives and vermifuges. These treatments are toxic in higher doses. Phytochemical investigations have isolated a range of secondary metabolites including isoflavones, flavanols, glycosides, pterocarpans, chromone, and ursolic acid.
Distribution
Andira is distributed throughout the tropical Americas, ranging from Mexico and the Caribbean south through Central America to Brazil and Bolivia. A single species, Andira inermis, also occurs in West Africa, giving the genus a rare amphi-Atlantic distribution among Neotropical legumes.
Ecology
Fruits are fleshy drupes rather than pods; dispersal is primarily by bats in most species, with rodents acting as secondary dispersers in others. Seeds may additionally be carried by water, extending the potential dispersal range of riverine populations.
Cultural Uses
In Brazil, bark and leaf preparations from several Andira species have been used in traditional medicine to treat fevers and intestinal parasites (as purgatives and vermifuges). These preparations are effective at low doses but toxic in high doses, and their use has prompted phytochemical study yielding isoflavones, pterocarpans, chromone, and ursolic acid.
Taxonomy Notes
Andira was formerly placed in the tribe Dalbergieae (subfamily Faboideae, Fabaceae). Molecular phylogenetic analyses published in 2012 and 2013 showed it forms a distinct clade within Faboideae not nested within Dalbergieae; this lineage is now designated the Andira clade. The genus was described by Lamarck and published in Encyclopédie 1: 171 (1783).
