Didymopanax is a genus of flowering plants in the family Araliaceae (order Apiales), first described by Joseph Decaisne and Jules Émile Planchon in 1854. The genus was later absorbed into a broadly circumscribed Schefflera for much of the 20th century, but molecular phylogenetic work showed that broad Schefflera was polyphyletic — its hundreds of species did not form a single natural lineage. As part of the resulting taxonomic revision, Didymopanax was resurrected in 2020 to accommodate roughly 37 American species previously treated as Schefflera, restricting Schefflera in the strict sense to 13 species native to New Zealand and nearby Pacific islands. The GBIF Backbone Taxonomy currently follows this treatment, listing Didymopanax as the accepted genus and, for example, treating Schefflera morototoni as a synonym of Didymopanax morototoni. Other taxonomic authorities have not uniformly adopted the split, so species in this genus may still be encountered under either name depending on the source consulted.
Didymopanax species are native to southern Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, and South America. The best-known member, Didymopanax morototoni (common name "yagrumo macho"), is a timber tree that grows across a range of habitats, from the Caatinga and Cerrado to the Amazon rainforest of Brazil, illustrating the genus's broad ecological tolerance within its Neotropical range.
Distribution
Native to southern Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, and South America. Didymopanax morototoni in particular grows across a range of Brazilian habitats, including the Caatinga, Cerrado, and Amazon rainforest.
Taxonomy Notes
Didymopanax Decne. & Planch. was published in 1854 but later folded into a broadly defined Schefflera. Phylogenetic studies found that broad Schefflera was polyphyletic, so in 2020 Didymopanax was resurrected to hold roughly 37 American species split out of Schefflera, which is now restricted to 13 species from New Zealand and the Pacific. GBIF's backbone taxonomy currently accepts Didymopanax and treats names such as Schefflera morototoni as synonyms of the corresponding Didymopanax species, though other authorities (e.g. POWO, WFO) may still place these species under Schefflera — the two treatments coexist in current literature.
Ecology
Didymopanax morototoni grows in a variety of habitats, including the Caatinga, Cerrado, and Amazon rainforest of Brazil, reflecting the genus's ecological range within tropical and subtropical America.
