Libidibia

Life-forms

Classification System: APG IV

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Regnum: Plantae
Cladus: Angiosperms
Cladus: Eudicots
Cladus: Core eudicots
Cladus: Rosids
Cladus: Eurosids I
Ordo: Fabales

Familia: Fabaceae
Subfamilia: Caesalpinioideae
Tribus: Caesalpinieae
Genus: Libidibia
Species: L. coriaria – L. ferrea – L. glabrata – L. juca – L. leiostachya – L. monosperma – L. paraguariensis – L. parvifolia – L. punctata – L. sclerocarpa
Source(s) of checklist:

Govaerts, R. et al. 2025. Libidibia in Kew Science Plants of the World Online. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published online. Accessed: 2025 Apr. 20. Reference page.

Name

Libidibia (DC.) Schltdl. (1830)

Type species: Libidibia coriaria| (Jacq.) Schltdl. (1830)

Synonyms

Basionym
Caesalpinia sect. Libidibia DC., Prodr. (Candolle) 2: 483. (1825)
Heterotypic
Stahlia Bello, Anales Soc. Esp. Hist. Nat. 10: 255. (1881)

References
Primary references

Schlechtendal, D.F.L.v. 1830. Linnaea. Ein Journal für die Botanik in ihrem ganzen Umfange 5: 192.

Additional references

Oliveira, F.G., Santos, F.D.S., Lewis, G.P., de Oliveira, R.P. & de Queiroz, L.P. 2024. Reassessing the taxonomy of the Libidibia ferrea complex, the iconic Brazilian tree “pau-ferro” using morphometrics and ecological niche modeling. Brazilian Journal of Botany 47: 1203–1219. Paywall Reference page.

Links

Govaerts, R. et al. 2025. Libidibia in Kew Science Plants of the World Online. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published online. Accessed: 2025 Apr. 20. Reference page.
International Plant Names Index. 2025. Libidibia. Published online. Accessed: Apr. 20 2025. Reference page.
Tropicos.org 2019. Libidibia. Missouri Botanical Garden. Published online. Accessed: 20 Jul 2019. Reference page.

Hassler, M. 2025. Libidibia. World Plants: Synonymic Checklists of the Vascular Plants of the World In: Roskovh, Y., Abucay, L., Orrell, T., Nicolson, D., Bailly, N., Kirk, P., Bourgoin, T., DeWalt, R.E., Decock, W., De Wever, A., Nieukerken, E. van, Zarucchi, J. & Penev, L., eds. 2025. Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life. Published online. Accessed: 2025 Jul 20. Reference page.

Vernacular names
日本語: リビディビア属
Libidibia is a genus of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae. It includes seven species of trees and shrubs native to the tropical Americas, ranging from northern Mexico to northern Argentina. Typical habitats include seasonally-dry tropical forest and scrub, thorn forest (including caatinga), and savanna woodland.[1] It belongs to the subfamily Caesalpinioideae.
Species

Libidibia comprises the following species:[1][2]

Libidibia coriaria (Jacq.) Schltdl.—divi-divi (Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, northern South America)
Libidibia ferrea (Mart. ex Tul.) L.P.Queiroz—Brazilian ironwood, leopard tree
var. ferrea (Mart. ex Tul.) L.P.Queiroz
var. glabrescens (Benth.) L.P.Queiroz
var. leiostachya (Benth.) L.P.Queiroz
var. parvifolia (Benth.) L.P.Queiroz
Libidibia glabrata (Kunth) C.Cast. & G.P.Lewis
Libidibia monosperma (Tul.) Gagnon & G.P.Lewis
Libidibia paraguariensis (D.Parodi) G.P.Lewis—ibirá-berá, guayacaú negro, Argentinian brown ebony (Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay)
Libidibia punctata (Willd.) Britton—quebrahacha
Libidibia sclerocarpa (Standl.) Britton & Rose

References

"Libidibia Schltdl". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
Gagnon E, Bruneau A, Hughes CE, de Queiroz LP, Lewis GP (2016). "A new generic system for the pantropical Caesalpinia group (Leguminosae)". PhytoKeys (71): 1–160. doi:10.3897/phytokeys.71.9203. PMC 5558824. PMID 28814915.