This tribe is composed of five genera, two of which were originally included in the genus Acosmium (Guianodendron[3] and Leptolobium[4]) and one of which was originally assigned to the genus Diplotropis (Staminodianthus[5]). All of these genera were traditionally included in the tribe
Sophoreae. However, recent
molecular phylogenetic analyses resolved these five genera into a strongly-supported monophyletic clade, which warranted the
reinstatement of the tribe Leptolobieae.[2][6] A potential morphological
synapomorphy for the tribe is: "tufts of minute colleter-like glands in the axils of bract and bracteoles".[2][6][7]
^Schütz RR, de Azevedo Tozzi AMG (2008). "Reinstatement of the name Leptolobium Vogel (Leguminosae, Papilionoideae, Sophoreae)". Taxon. 57 (3): 980–984.
doi:
10.1002/tax.573027.
JSTOR27756725.
^Cardoso D, de Lima HC, de Queiroz LP (2013). "Staminodianthus, a new neotropical Genistoid legume genus segregated from Diplotropis". Phytotaxa. 110 (1): 1–16.
doi:
10.11646/phytotaxa.110.1.1.
^
abCardoso D, de Lima HC, Rodrigues RS, de Queiroz LP, Pennington RT, Lavin M (2012). "The Bowdichia clade of Genistoid legumes: Phylogenetic analysis of combined molecular and morphological data and a recircumscription of Diplotropis". Taxon. 61 (5): 1074–1087.
doi:
10.1002/tax.615012.
^Schütz RR, de Azevedo Tozzi AM (2007). "Morphological analysis and re-examination of the taxonomic circumscription of Acosmium (Leguminosae, Papilionoideae, Sophoreae)". Taxon. 56 (2): 439–452.
doi:
10.1002/tax.562015.
JSTOR25065799.