Leplaea is a genus of flowering plants in the family Meliaceae, placed within the order Sapindales. The genus is native to western Tropical Africa, with its range extending east to Uganda. It occurs across a broad swath of equatorial Africa, including Angola (Cabinda Province), Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaïre).
The genus was first formally described and published in the Revue de Zoologie et de Botanique Africaines, Volume 9 (Supplement Botanique), page 61, in 1921. As currently circumscribed according to Kew, Leplaea comprises seven accepted species, including Leplaea cedrata, Leplaea laurentii, and Leplaea thompsonii. These species were formerly placed in other genera within Meliaceae before being transferred to Leplaea by E.J.M. Koenen and J.J. de Wilde.
Meliaceae is a family of woody plants — mostly trees and shrubs — best known for including mahogany and related timber trees. Leplaea fits within this context as a genus of African tropical forest trees.
Etymology
The genus name Leplaea honours Edmond Leplae (1868–1941), a Belgian agricultural engineer and professor of agriculture at the University of Liège.
Distribution
Leplaea is native to western Tropical Africa, ranging east to Uganda. It is recorded from Angola (Cabinda Province), Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Taxonomy Notes
The genus was first described in 1921, published in Revue de Zoologie et de Botanique Africaines, Vol. 9 (Supplement Botanique), p. 61. Several of its currently accepted species were transferred from other Meliaceae genera (including Guarea) by E.J.M. Koenen and J.J. de Wilde. GBIF places it in the family Meliaceae, order Sapindales.
