Baphia is a small genus of legumes that bear simple leaves. Baphia is from the Greek word βάπτω (báptō-, "to dip" or "to dye"), referring to a red dye that is extracted from the heartwood of tropical species. The genus is restricted to the African tropics. Baphia was traditionally assigned to the tribe Sophoreae; however, recent molecular phylogenetic analyses reassigned Baphia to the tribe Baphieae.
Species Baphia comprises the following species:
Section Alata M.O.Soladoye Baphia cordifolia Harms
Section Baphia Lodd. Series Baphia Lodd. Baphia abyssinica Brummitt
Baphia dewevrei De Wild. Baphia dewildeana M.O.Soladoye
Baphia latiloi M.O.Soladoye Baphia laurifolia Baillon Baphia longipedicellata De Wild. subsp. keniensis (Brummitt) M.O.Soladoye subsp. longipedicellata De Wild. Baphia mambillensis M.O.Soladoye Baphia marceliana De Wild. subsp. marceliana De Wild. subsp. marquesii (M.Exell) M.O.Soladoye
Baphia nitida Lodd. (Camwood)
Baphia pauloi Brummitt
Baphia pubescens Hook.f. Baphia puguensis Brummitt Baphia punctulata Harms subsp. descampsii (De Wild.) M.O.Soladoye subsp. palmensis M.O.Soladoye subsp. punctulata Harms
Series Contiguinae M.O.Soladoye Baphia angolensis Baker
Baphia brachybotrys Harms Baphia breteleriana M.O.Soladoye
Baphia buettneri Harms subsp. buettneri Harms subsp. hylophila (Harms) M.O.Soladoye
Baphia gossweileri Baker f.
Baphia incerta De Wild. subsp. incerta De Wild. subsp. lebrunii (L.Touss.) M.O.Soladoye
Baphia leptostemma Baillon subsp. gracilipes (Harms) M.O.Soladoye var. gracilipes (Harms) M.O.Soladoye var. conraui (Harms) M.O.Soladoye subsp. leptostemma Baillon
Baphia preussii Harms Baphia obanensis Baker f.
Baphia wollastonii Baker f.
Series Spathaceae M.O.Soladoye
Baphia eriocalyx Harms Baphia spathacea Hook.f. subsp. polyantha (Harms) M.O.Soladoye subsp. spathacea Hook.f.
Section Bracteolaria (Hochst.) Benth.
Baphia aurivellera Taubert
Baphia capparidifolia Baker subsp. bangweolensis (R.E.Fries) Brummitt subsp. capparidifolia Baker subsp. multiflora (Harms) Brummitt subsp. polygalacea Brummitt Baphia dubia De Wild.
Baphia heudelotiana Baillon Baphia kirkii Baker subsp. kirkii Baker subsp. ovata (Sim) M.O.Soladoye Baphia laurentii De Wild.
Section Longibracteolatae (Lester-Garland) M.O.Soladoye Series Chrysophyllae M.O.Soladoye Baphia burttii Baker f.
Baphia chrysophylla Taubert subsp. chrysophylla Taubert subsp. claessensii (De Wild.) Brummitt
Baphia cuspidata Taubert
Baphia massaiensis Taubert subsp. busseana (Harms) M.O.Soladoye subsp. floribunda Brummitt subsp. gomesii (Baker f.) Brummitt subsp. massaiensis Taubert subsp. obovata (Schinz) Brummitt var. cornifolia (Harms) M.O.Soladoye var. obovata (Schinz) M.O.Soladoye var. whitei (Brummitt) M.O.Soladoye
Baphia speciosa J.B.Gillett & Brummitt
Series Macranthae M.O.Soladoye Baphia bequaertii De Wild.
Baphia letestui Pellegrin
Baphia maxima Baker
Series Striatae (Lester Garland) M.O.Soladoye
Baphia leptobotrys Harms subsp. leptobotrys Harms subsp. silvatica (Harms) M.O.Soladoye Baphia pilosa Baillon subsp. batangensis (Harms) M.O.Soladoye subsp. pilosa Baillon
Section Macrobaphia Harms emend. M.O.Soladoye Baphia bergeri De Wild. Baphia macrocalyx Harms
Baphia semseiana Brummitt
Incertae sedis Baphia cymosa Breteler Baphia madagascariensis (A.Heller) A.Heller
Species names with uncertain taxonomic status The status of the following species is unresolved: Baphia glauca A. Chev. Baphia longepetiolata Taub. Baphia madagascariensis C.H. Stirt. & Du Puy Baphia megaphylla Breteler Baphia radcliffei Baker f. In 2023, a new species, Baphia arenicola was discovered growing in the deep sandy highland region of central Angola, part of the Kalahari sands, and was formally described to science. The floral characters most morphologically similar to Baphia massaiensis but with certain characters also comparable to Baphia bequaertii, with all three species found growing in the same region. Preliminary molecular analysis places the new taxon close to Baphia bequaertii. Whilst most Baphia form above ground shrubs and trees, Baphia arenicola grows as a geoxylic suffrutex (often described as "underground trees") with most of its woody tissue growing buried deep within the sand and its flowering parts just above ground level.
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