The leguminous Pterocarpus officinalis Jacq. is one of the dominant freshwater wetland tree species in the Caribbean basin. Anthromorphic factors threaten to reduce its population. In order to investigate the genetic diversity and structure of this species, we developed eight pairs of primers for nuclear microsatellites. One hundred ninety-one individuals were analysed within nine Caribbean and continental populations. These loci were polymorphic in all the populations, with four to 20 alleles per locus. Significant Hardy-Weinberg deviation was detected and was interpreted as a result of Wahlund effect. These loci constitute a powerful tool to investigate the genetic patterns within populations of the swamp species P. officinalis.