The classification of the legume family proposed here addresses the long‐known non‐monophyly of the traditionally recognised subfamily Caesalpinioideae, by recognising six robustly supported monophyletic subfamilies. This new classification uses as its framework the most comprehensive phylogenetic analyses of legumes to date, based on plastid matK gene sequences, and including near‐complete sampling of genera (698 of the currently recognised 765 genera) and ca. 20% (3696) of known species. The matK gene region has been the most widely sequenced across the legumes, and in most legume lineages, this gene region is sufficiently variable to yield well‐supported clades. This analysis resolves the same major clades as in other phylogenies of whole plastid and nuclear gene sets (with much sparser taxon sampling). Our analysis improves upon previous studies that have used large phylogenies of the Leguminosae for addressing evolutionary questions, because it maximises generic sampling and provides a phylogenetic tree that is based on a fully curated set of sequences that are vouchered and taxonomically validated. The phylogenetic trees obtained and the underlying data are available to browse and download, facilitating subsequent analyses that require evolutionary trees. Here we propose a new community‐endorsed classification of the family that reflects the phylogenetic structure that is consistently resolved and recognises six subfamilies in Leguminosae: a recircumscribed Caesalpinioideae DC., Cercidoideae Legume Phylogeny Working Group (stat. nov.), Detarioideae Burmeist., Dialioideae Legume Phylogeny Working Group (stat. nov.), Duparquetioideae Legume Phylogeny Working Group (stat. nov.), and Papilionoideae DC. The traditionally recognised subfamily Mimosoideae is a distinct clade nested within the recircumscribed Caesalpinioideae and is referred to informally as the mimosoid clade pending a forthcoming formal tribal and/or clade‐based classification of the new Caesalpinioideae. We provide a key for subfamily identification, descriptions with diagnostic charactertistics for the subfamilies, figures illustrating their floral and fruit diversity, and lists of genera by subfamily. This new classification of Leguminosae represents a consensus view of the international legume systematics community; it invokes both compromise and practicality of use.

Crop wild relatives (CWR) are valuable sources of variation for the genetic improvement of crops. Mexico is an important center of diversity of crops and CWR. However, this diversity is threatened by climate change, habitat degradation, increasing human population, among other factors. Given the large number of CWR, the creation of a CWR inventory is the starting point for the development of a national CWR conservation strategy. The process for the preparation of a national CWR inventory for Mexico consisted of (i) producing a list of national crop species, (ii) matching the crop genera with the list of national flora to produce a CWR checklist, and (iii) prioritizing the CWR checklist according to a series of selection criteria and using a ranking system. The selection criteria included the economic value of the related crop, the potential for crop improvement, food intake, threat status, geographical distribution, and crop use. Applying these criteria, 310 prioritized CWR taxa were selected (~2% of the national CWR diversity), integrating the national CWR inventory. They are mostly related to food crops of national but also global importance, such as maize (Zea mays L.), common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.), chili pepper (Capsicum annuum L.), squash (Cucurbita spp.), potato (Solanum tuberosum L.), cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz), and sweet potato [Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam.]. Approximately 31% of the taxa are endemic to Mexico. The inventory will help to develop in situ and ex situ conservation plans as part of a national CWR conservation strategy.

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Threatened status of neglected and underutilised Jatropha (Euphorbiaceae) species endemic to Mexico Estado de amenaza para las especies menos conocidas o poco utilizadas de Jatropha (Euphorbiaceae) endémicas de México

A new species, Zygia nubigena Ståhl, L. Rico & G. P. Lewis (Leguminosae–Mimosoideae), is described from western Ecuador. It is characterized by large and very thick‐walled fruits with coarsely alveolate‐reticulate surfaces, spicate inflorescences, one (less common) or two pairs of pinnae per leaf and 4 or 5 pairs of petiolulate leaflets per pinna. In leaf features, Z. nubigena is similar to Z. steyermarkii (Schery) Barneby & J. W. Grimes from montane forest in southern Ecuador, but differs by having somewhat smaller flowers borne in long, many‐flowered racemes (not 25–30‐flowered capitulae). The fruits of Z. nubigena resemble those of Z. rhytidocarpa L. Rico (Honduras, Guatemala) and Z. megistocarpa (Barbosa) L. Rico (northern Peru), but Z. nubigena differs from both in vegetative and floral characters.