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Systematics of the Tropical African Genus Berlinia (Detarieae: Caesalpinioideae: Leguminosae)

Berlinia congolensis in Gabon. Photo: J. Wieringa.

The tropical African tree genus Berlinia was described in 1849 to accommodate a single species. Over the next c. 50 years, 26 more species were described and the generic limits of Berlinia sensu lato became unclear. Several authors proposed a variety of taxonomic systems, to categorise the considerable morphological diversity of Berlinia sensu lato, and 11 new segregate genera were described but there was no consensus on the generic limit of Berlinia and considerable confusion about species limits and nomenclature. In 1957, Léonard published a higher level tribal account in which he proposed a narrower circumscription for Berlinia. His circumscription gained a wide acceptance by the authors of Berlinia accounts in the major African Floras, namely Torre & Hillcoat (1956) in Conspectus Flora Angolensis, Keay (1958) in Flora of West Tropical Africa, Brenan (1967) in Flora of Tropical East Africa, and Aubréville (1968 and 1970 respectively) in Flore du Gabon and Flore du Cameroun but still there was significant disagreement between some of these floristic accounts of the genus.

The purpose of this project is to resolve these conflicts by revising Berlinia over its entire distribution for the first time since its description.

Objectives are to test the generic limits and enumerate and delimit the species by examining extensive loans of material borrowed from other Herbaria, visiting Herbaria with major holdings of African Legumes, undertaking fieldwork in West-Central Africa to target poorly known or possible new taxa as well as make first hand field observations and generating molecular data (three genomic regions) for phylogenetic analysis. The project duration is Oct. 2001 – Oct. 2007.

Product and outputs are chiefly publications. A synopsis of species is in press. A PhD thesis (completed September 2006) contains a monographic treatment and the results of a phylogenetic investigation. In 2007 the monograph and phylogeny will be submitted for publication and will include red data assessments of all species. Two other interim publications (in press), describe four new species discovered during the course of the project. A paper describing a fifth species new to science is in preparation.

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