Zygophyllum is the type genus of the flowering plant family Zygophyllaceae. The genus name is derived from the Ancient Greek öàóÃÂý (zygón), meaning "double", and ÃÂÃÂûûÿý (phyllon), meaning "leaf". It refers to the leaves, each of which have two leaflets.
The genus is distributed in arid and semi-arid regions of Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, central Asia, Australia, and North and South America. Molecular phylogenetic analysis suggested that as previously circumscribed, Zygophyllum was not monophyletic, and the genus was split among a number of other genera, including Augea, Fagonia, Roepera and Tetraena. , Plants of the World Online accepted only Roepera of these genera, regarding Augea, Fagonia and Tetraena as synonyms of Zygophyllum.
, Plants of the World Online accepted 117 species (including those other sources place in Augea, Fagonia and Tetraena):