Lysiloma is a genus of flowering plants in the legume family Fabaceae, placed in the order Fabales. The genus comprises around eight accepted species of trees and large shrubs native to the Americas, distributed from the southwestern United States (southern Arizona and New Mexico) south through Mexico and Central America to Costa Rica, and extending into the Caribbean, including Cuba, Hispaniola, the Bahamas, the Turks and Caicos Islands, and southern Florida.
Members of the genus share the characteristic bipinnate leaves and small leguminous flower clusters typical of many Mimosoideae-alliance legumes, bearing flat or elongated seed pods. The genus includes both arid-adapted species — such as Lysiloma watsonii (littleleaf false tamarind or featherbush), a drought-tolerant tree native to southeastern Arizona's Rincon Mountains and adjacent Sonora — and Caribbean lowland forest species such as Lysiloma latisiliquum (false tamarind) and Lysiloma sabicu (sabicu or horseflesh mahogany), the latter valued historically for its hard, durable timber.
With approximately 11 taxa recognized at infrageneric ranks by GBIF, Lysiloma occupies a modest but ecologically significant niche in Neotropical and Madrean-foothill woodlands, thorn scrub, and tropical dry forests.
Distribution
Lysiloma is native to the Americas. Species occur from southern Arizona and New Mexico southward through Mexico and Central America to Costa Rica, with additional representatives in Florida, Cuba, Hispaniola, the Bahamas, and the Turks and Caicos Islands. Individual species show strongly differentiated ranges: L. watsonii is largely confined to the Sonoran Desert region, while L. latisiliquum and L. sabicu are primarily Caribbean and southern Florida taxa.
Taxonomy Notes
The genus Lysiloma is placed in the family Fabaceae (order Fabales). GBIF recognizes the genus as accepted with 11 descendant taxa. Wikipedia lists eight accepted species, reflecting ongoing revision of the group. The genus belongs to the broader Mimosoideae alliance of legumes.
