The rise of (Leguminosae) and the fall of : a generic re-circumscription and the addition of 4 new species.

L. is a genus of ca. 85 species of shrubs to large trees. It is amongst the largest genera in the legume subfamily Detarioideae and one of the few with a pantropical distribution. Perhaps due to this wide distribution and high diversity, systematists and taxonomists have struggled with the classification of and its close ally, the genus Scheff. Recent phylogenetic studies have shown that many of the African species are more closely related to other genera and that the genus is nested within a clade of Indo-Pacific . Here, I present an emended circumscription of that excludes the African species defined by jointed pedicels and dehiscent fruits and includes the species formerly recognised in . New combinations in are also provided for those species that require them. Additionally, four new species of Neotropical are described and illustrated: from the lower Rio Trombetas in Brazil; from the Darien gap region of Panama; from the dry tropical forests of Ecuador and Peru; and from the foothills of the western Cordillera de la Costa in Venezuela.