Silk Tree, Guanacaste, Monkey's Earring: a Generic System for the Synandrons Mimosaceae of the Americas
Silk tree, guanacaste and monkey's earring are all local names for various species of the group of mimosoid legumes with united anthers. This includes important genera such as Albizzia, Abarema and Pithecellobium. This book is the ®rst volume of a three-part study of most genera of the tribe Ingeae other than Inga itself, which is being revised elsewhere, Zapoteca and Aonsea. The revision is at both the speci®c and generic level of all West Indian and South American and some Central American species. The high quality of monographs that we have come to expect from Rupert Barneby, who has done so much to improve the taxonomy of the leguminosae, is maintained. This new work brings together the traditional morphological approach of Barneby with the ®eldwork and the phylogenetic studies of Grimes and the result is a modern monograph of the most excellent quality. Twenty genera and 137 species are treated, varying from the 45 species of Abarema to the monospeci®c genus of the important Amazonian timber tree Cedrelinga cateniformis (Ducke) Ducke. There are many cladograms provided at both the generic and speci®c level. Of particular use to conservationists are the distribution maps of all the species. Several of the species are of extremely local distribution and must be threatened by loss of their habitat. All conservation is ultimately dependent upon a sound taxonomy of the species which we seek to conserve. This work is exemplary of the high standard of predictive classi®cation which is required for meaningful conclusions about conservation. I will certainly look forward to the publications of the next two parts of the study.