A generic synopsis of Malpighiaceae in the Atlantic Forest

Malpighiaceae is one of the major families of tropical and subtropical lianas, easily recognized in the field due to its remarkable flower conservatism. The family has been the subject of different phylogenetic studies over the past fifteen years, which have demonstrated the paraphyly of its subfamilies, most of its tribes, and some of its largest genera. Some of the most drastic changes have occurred in Mascagnia and Tetrapterys, where ten genera were segregated (eight of them new) making it difficult for general botanists to reassign many commonly known species. As a first attempt to clarify most of the recent generic changes within the family, we present a taxonomic synopsis of Malpighiaceae from the Atlantic Forest in Brazil and Argentina, including an illustrated key, morphological generic descriptions, an updated checklist of species for each genera, and figures of all genera found in this biome.