A revision of the genus Saraca L. (Legum. — CAES.)

Saraca is one of the few genera of Caesalpinoideae not yet revised for Malesia. The genus extends in continental SE. Asia from India to SW. China, and in Malesia from Sumatra eastwards to Celebes (but is curiously absent from the Philippines). It was more or less revised as a whole by Prain (1897). During the course of the work it soon became clear that for a good understanding of the Malesian species the entire genus should be revised. The variability in hairiness, in colour of the flowers, and in number of leaf pairs, appeared to be far greater than accounted for in literature. This has led in the past to a fairly large number of names based on unreliable characters and misunderstanding of taxa.