Pongamia [SEP] parent taxon
Pongamia
Pongamia is a genus of legume in the Fabaceae family. Recently it has been proposed that the genus "Pongamia" be rejected in favor of the genus "Millettia", and many species have been reclassified. Due to recent interest in biofuels, pongamia is often the generic name given for "Millettia pinnata", a tree being explored for producing biodiesel.
Botany and description.
Botany and description Synonyms.
- "Derris indica" (Lam.) Bennett
- "Millettia novo"-guineensis Kane. and Hat
. In 1972, S. R. Bennet, an Indian taxonomist gave the pongam a new name, Derris indica (Lamk.) Bennet, but this change has not been generally adopted. The name Derris, derived from Greek, means ‘leather covering or skin’; the specific name ‘indica’ obviously means of India. In 1981 a proposal to conserve the genus "Millettia" and reject the genus "Pongamia" was proposed in the journal Taxon and was ratified in 1988.
Ecology.
"P. pinnata"