Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jun 18, 2026

Amorpheae

The tribe Amorpheae is an early-branching clade within the flowering plant subfamily Faboideae or Papilionaceae. It is found from Mexico to Argentina. It was recently found to belong in a larger clade known informally as the dalbergioids sensu lato. This tribe is consistently resolved as monophyletic in molecular phylogenetic analyses. It is estimated to have arisen 36.9 ± 3.0 million years ago. A node-based definition for Amorpheae is: "the MRCA of Psorothamnus arborescens and Eysenhardtia orthocarpa." The tribe exhibits the following morphological synapomorphies: "epidermal glands throughout the plant body; dry, indehiscent fruits that are single-seeded; and terminal inflorescences."

Last revised
Jun 18, 2026
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Amorpheae
Amorpha fruticosa
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Embryophytes
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Spermatophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Subfamily: Faboideae
Clade: Meso-Papilionoideae
Clade: Dalbergioids
Tribe: Amorpheae
Boriss. 1964 emend. Barneby 19771
Subclades and genera

See text

Synonyms
  • Daleeae Hutch.

The tribe Amorpheae is an early-branching clade within the flowering plant subfamily Faboideae or Papilionaceae. It is found from Mexico to Argentina.2 It was recently found to belong in a larger clade known informally as the dalbergioids sensu lato.234 This tribe is consistently resolved as monophyletic in molecular phylogenetic analyses.23415678910 It is estimated to have arisen 36.9 ± 3.0 million years ago (in the Eocene).6 A node-based definition for Amorpheae is: "the MRCA of Psorothamnus arborescens and Eysenhardtia orthocarpa."6 The tribe exhibits the following morphological synapomorphies: "epidermal glands throughout the plant body; dry, indehiscent fruits that are single-seeded; and terminal inflorescences."1

Subclades and genera

Amorphoids

The amorphoids can be distinguished from the daleoids on the basis of their non-papilionaceous flowers.1

Daleoids

The daleoids can be distinguished from the amorphoids on the basis of their generally papilionaceous corollas.1

References

References

  1. McMahon M, Hufford L (2004). "Phylogeny of Amorpheae (Fabaceae: Papilionoideae)". Am J Bot. 91 (8): 1219–1230. doi:10.3732/ajb.91.8.1219. PMID 21653479.
  2. Wojciechowski MF. (2013). "Towards a new classification of Leguminosae: Naming clades using non-Linnaean phylogenetic nomenclature". S Afr J Bot. 89: 85–93. doi:10.1016/j.sajb.2013.06.017.
  3. Cardoso D, de Queiroz LP, Pennington RT, de Lima HC, Fonty É, Wojciechowski MF, Lavin M (2012). "Revisiting the phylogeny of papilionoid legumes: new insights from comprehensively sampled early-branching lineages". Am J Bot. 99 (12): 1991–2013. doi:10.3732/ajb.1200380. PMID 23221500.
  4. Cardoso D, Pennington RT, de Queiroz LP, Boatwright JS, Van Wyk B-E, Wojciechowskie MF, Lavin M (2013). "Reconstructing the deep-branching relationships of the papilionoid legumes". S Afr J Bot. 89: 58–75. doi:10.1016/j.sajb.2013.05.001. hdl:10566/3193.
  5. LPWG [Legume Phylogeny Working Group] (2013). "Legume phylogeny and classification in the 21st century: progress, prospects and lessons for other species-rich clades" (PDF). Taxon. 62 (2): 217–248. doi:10.12705/622.8. hdl:10566/3455. Archived (PDF) from the original on 3 July 2024. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
  6. Lavin M, Herendeen PS, Wojciechowski MF (2005). "Evolutionary rates analysis of Leguminosae implicates a rapid diversification of lineages during the tertiary". Syst Biol. 54 (4): 575–94. doi:10.1080/10635150590947131. PMID 16085576.
  7. McMahon MM, Sanderson MJ (2006). "Phylogenetic supermatrix analysis of GenBank sequences from 2228 papilionoid legumes". Syst Biol. 99 (12): 1991–2013. doi:10.1080/10635150600999150. PMID 17060202.
  8. Pennington RT, Lavin M, Ireland H, Klitgaard B, Preston J, Hu J-M (2001). "Phylogenetic relationships of basal papilionoid legumes based upon sequences of the chloroplast trnL intron". Syst Bot. 55 (5): 818–836. doi:10.1043/0363-6445-26.3.537 (inactive 11 July 2025).{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of July 2025 (link)
  9. Doyle JJ, Doyle JL, Ballenger JA, Dickson EE, Kajita T, Ohashi H (1997). "A phylogeny of the chloroplast gene rbcL in the Leguminosae: taxonomic correlations and insights into the evolution of nodulation". Am J Bot. 84 (4): 541–554. doi:10.2307/2446030. JSTOR 2446030. PMID 21708606.
  10. Hu JM, Lavin M, Wojciechowski MF, Sanderson MJ (2000). "Phylogenetic systematics of the tribe Millettieae (Leguminosae) based on chloroplast trnK/matK sequences and its implications for evolutionary patterns in Papilionoideae". Am J Bot. 87 (3): 418–30. doi:10.2307/2656638. JSTOR 2656638. PMID 10719003.

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