Révision du genre Eurypetalum Harms (Fabaceae, Caesalpinioideae)

The African genus Eurypetalum Harms (Fabaceae, Caesalpinioideae) of Lower Guinea is revised. Two species, E. tessmannii and E. unijugum, are recognized. They are illustrated and their distributions are mapped. Eurypetalum batesii is placed in the synonymy of E. tessmannii. The distinction between the two species of Eurypetalum is easy: leaves with two pairs of leaflets in E. tessmannii, with one pair in E. unijugum. The distinctive characters between Eurypetalum and the sister-genus Eperua Aubl. of South America are not very obvious. They are seen partly in the wood anatomy, partly in the presence or absence of nectaries in the hypanthium. The distinction between the two genera is confirmed by molecular evidence (DNA). Their place in the system of Cowan & Polhill (1981) is discussed.