Bottegoa Chiov. transferred to the Ptaeroxylaceae

Summary. A full description is given of the hitherto poorly known NE African monotypic genus Bottegoa, and a multidisciplinary approach is used to determine its taxonomic position. Clearly, Bottegoa is very atypical of Sapindaceae, in which family the genus has been accommodated since its first description in 1916. Pollen morphology suggests a place in the Ptaeroxylaceae, Rutaceae or Simaroubaceae. On account of macromorphological, leaf, wood and seed anatomical features Bottegoa is more satisfactorily placed in the Ptaeroxylaceae. Including Bottegoa, this small family is morphologically more or less intermediate between the Rutaceae and the Simaroubaceae. The genus Harrisonia, another awkward taxon with affinity to Simaroubaceae and Rutaceae, might be its closest relative. Phytochemical (quassinoids, limonoids, ptaeroxylines) and molecular work (rbcL sequences) on the Ptaeroxylaceae, including Bottegoa, is needed to throw more light on their apparently very close relationship with the Simaroubaceae and the Rutaceae.