Pterolobium is a genus of approximately 10 species of perennial flowering plants in the family Fabaceae (order Fabales), placed in subfamily Caesalpinioideae and tribe Caesalpinieae. Members of the genus are large scrambling or climbing shrubs, colloquially known as redwings in reference to their distinctive colourful samara (winged) fruits. The bipinnate leaves bear pairs of thorns below the rachis, an adaptation common to climbing legumes.
The genus is distributed across the tropical to subtropical regions of Africa and Asia, extending from the African continent through South and Southeast Asia to Indonesia and the Philippines. Plants typically grow in riverside thickets, on rocky slopes, and at forest margins — habitats that favour their scrambling, climbing habit. Well-known members include Pterolobium stellatum (synonym P. lacerans), widely called the redwing, and Pterolobium hexapetalum, documented from the forests of peninsular India.
Etymology
The name Pterolobium derives from the Greek πτερόν (pterón, "wing") and λόβιον (lóbion, "pod" or "capsule"), a direct reference to the genus's characteristic winged, samara-like fruits.
Distribution
Pterolobium is native to tropical and subtropical regions of Africa and Asia, with species recorded from the African continent through South Asia, Southeast Asia, Indonesia, and the Philippines. Plants favour riverside thickets, rocky slopes, and forest margins across this range.
Ecology
Species of Pterolobium are large scrambling or climbing shrubs adapted to disturbed and edge habitats, including riverside thickets, rocky hillsides, and forest margins. Their paired thorns and bipinnate leaves are characteristic of this climbing growth form within the legume family.
