''Licania'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

of over 200 species of trees and shrubs in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Chrysobalanaceae Chrysobalanaceae is a family of flowering plants, consisting of trees and shrubs in 27 genera and about 700 species of pantropical distribution with a centre of diversity in the Amazon. Some of the species contain silica in their bodies for ri ...

. Species are found naturally occurring in

Neotropical The Neotropical realm is one of the eight biogeographic realms constituting Earth's land surface. Physically, it includes the tropical terrestrial ecoregions of the Americas and the entire South American temperate zone. Definition In bioge ...

forests from southern

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

and the

Lesser Antilles The Lesser Antilles ( es, link=no, Antillas Menores; french: link=no, Petites Antilles; pap, Antias Menor; nl, Kleine Antillen) are a group of islands in the Caribbean Sea. Most of them are part of a long, partially volcanic island arc bet ...

. Due to increased

deforestation Deforestation or forest clearance is the removal of a forest or stand of trees from land that is then converted to non-forest use. Deforestation can involve conversion of forest land to farms, ranches, or urban use. The most concentrated ...

and loss of habitat, several species have declined, some markedly so, and '' L. caldasiana'' from Colombia appears to have gone extinct in recent years. Many species are either rare or restricted in distribution and therefore potentially threatened with future extinction. Several species are used as

ornamental plant Ornamental plants or garden plants are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars that ...

s. ''Licania'' fruit are important food for many animals and can also be eaten by humans. Caterpillars of a possible new

taxon In biology, a taxon ( back-formation from '' taxonomy''; plural taxa) is a group of one or more populations of an organism or organisms seen by taxonomists to form a unit. Although neither is required, a taxon is usually known by a particular n ...

of the ''

Astraptes fulgerator ''Astraptes fulgerator'', the two-barred flasher, is a spread-wing skipper butterfly in the genus '' Astraptes'' which may constitute a possible cryptic species complex. It ranges all over the Americas, from the southern United States to north ...

cryptic species complex In biology, a species complex is a group of closely related organisms that are so similar in appearance and other features that the boundaries between them are often unclear. The taxa in the complex may be able to hybridize readily with each oth ...

were found on '' L. arborea'' but do not seem to eat them regularly. Like other members of its family, the genus is known for producing a diverse array of flavonoid compounds.

Selected species

Species include: * '' Licania arborea'' * '' Licania caldasiana'' * '' Licania chiriquiensis'' * '' Licania conferruminata'' * '' Licania fasciculata'' * '' Licania grandibracteata'' * '' Licania hedbergii'' * '' Licania humilis'' * '' Licania kunthiana'' * '' Licania longicuspidata'' * '' Licania longipetala'' * '' Licania megalophylla'' * '' Licania michauxii'' – Gopher apple, ground oak * '' Licania morii'' * ''

Licania platypus ''Licania platypus'', also known as sun sapote, sansapote, sonzapote, sunzapote, sungano, zapote cabelludo, sapote, sangre, zapote amarillo, zapote borracho, zapote cabello, zapote de mico, zapote de mono, mesonsapote, mezonzapote, cabeza de mi ...

'' – Sansapote * '' Licania pyrifolia'' – Merecure * '' Licania rigida'' – ''oiticica'' (Brazil) * '' Licania salicifolia'' * '' Licania splendens'' * ''

Licania tomentosa ''Moquilea tomentosa'' (syn. ''Licania tomentosa'') is a species of flowering plant in the family Chrysobalanaceae, native to most of Brazil. It is widely cultivated for its abundant fruit in South America and South Africa, and it is used as a st ...

'' – ''oitizeiro'' (Brazil) * '' Licania vasquezii'' * '' Licania velutina''

References

External links

* Chrysobalanaceae genera Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{Malpighiales-stub