A taxonomic revision of Cynometra L. (Fabaceae) in 
Australia with a new species from the Wet Tropics of 
Queensland and a range extension to the mainland 
W.E.Cooper 
Summary 
Cooper, W.E. (2015). A taxonomic revision of Cynometra L. (Fabaceae) in Australia with a new 
species from the Wet Tropics of Queensland and a range extension to the mainland. Austrobaileya 
9(3): 393-403. Cynometra comprises three species in Australia. In addition to C. iripa Kostel., the 
new species C. roseiflora W.E.Cooper is described, illustrated and distinguished from related species. 
C. ramiflora L. is newly recorded as occurring on the Australian mainland in north Queensland. All 
species are described with notes provided on typification, distribution and habitat. An identification 
key to the species of Cynometra in Australia is presented. 
Key Words: Fabaceae, Leguminosae, Cynometra, Cynometra iripa, Cynometra ramiflora, Cynometra 
roseiflora, new species, taxonomy, Australia flora, Queensland flora, identification key 
W.E. Cooper, Australian Tropical Herbarium, James Cook University, Cairns Campus, McGregor 
Road, Smithfield, Queensland 4878, Australia. 
Introduction 
Cynometra L. has been classified in the 
leguminous tribe Detarieae (within the 
Caesalpiniaceae) that broadly corresponds to 
the ‘Detarieae clade’ recovered from multiple 
genetic sequence data (Bruneau et al. 2008). 
There appears to be a close relationship with 
Maniltoa based on the available genetic 
evidence; however, taxon sampling has been 
limited to date (Bruneau et al. 2008), hence 
the traditional circumscription of Cynometra 
based on floral morphology (Knapp-van 
Meeuwen 1970; Ding Hou 1996) is followed 
in the current paper. 
Cynometra comprises approximately 
88 species when so defined (The Plant List 
2013) with a pantropical distribution from 
the African continent, Indian subcontinent 
(including Indian Ocean Islands, India, Sri 
Lanka), SE Asia, Malesia, Pacific Islands, 
Australia to Central America (Mexico), the 
West Indies and South America (Brazil, 
Argentina and Chile), occurring in forests 
from sea level to altitudes of 1300 m. The 
genus has its greatest diversity on the African 
continent (Cowan & Polhill 1981: 124) and 
Accepted for publication 23 July 2015 
is present only in small species numbers in 
Australia and the western Pacific. 
Historically, within Australia and in Asia, 
specimens of Cynometra iripa Kostel. (in 
the sense applied in this paper) have been 
previously determined as C. ramiflora var. 
bijuga (Bentham 1864; Bailey 1900; Knaap- 
van Meeuwen 1970). Recent consensus 
has been that true C. ramiflora did not 
occur on mainland Australia (Knapp-van 
Meeuwen 1970; Tomlinson 1986; Ding Hou 
1996); although it has been subsequently 
recorded from the Australian territory of 
Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean (Du 
Puy 1993; Claussen 2005). Despite these 
published statements, Cynometra ramiflora 
does indeed occur on mainland Australia 
and was first collected at the Jardine River 
on Cape York Peninsula in 1978 {Stirling 
AIM462 BRI), although this specimen was 
possibly overlooked by the second and 
third groups of authors mentioned above. 
Cynometra ramiflora was again collected in 
1991 ( Sankowsky 1223 [BRI], this specimen 
resulting in the phrase name Cynometra sp. 
(Paira Homestead Rd., G. Sankowsky +1223) 
at BRI) and again at Jardine River in October 
2014 {Cooper, Jensen, Kemp & Zdenek 2265, 
2267 .; 2268 [CNS]). 
