''Bocoa'' is a genus of

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed with ...

s in the

legume Legumes are plants in the pea family Fabaceae (or Leguminosae), or the fruit or seeds of such plants. When used as a dry grain for human consumption, the seeds are also called pulses. Legumes are grown agriculturally, primarily for human consum ...

family,

Fabaceae Fabaceae () or Leguminosae,International Code of Nomen ...

(Leguminosae). It belongs to the subfamily

Faboideae The Faboideae are a subfamily of the flowering plant family Fabaceae or Leguminosae. An acceptable alternative name for the subfamily is Papilionoideae, or Papilionaceae when this group of plants is treated as a family. This subfamily is widely ...

(Papilionoideae). Several species in the genus were recently reclassified as ''

Trischidium ''Trischidium'' is a genus of flowering plants in the legume family, Fabaceae. It includes five species of trees and shrubs native to northern South America. All species are native to Brazil, with one species ('' Trischidium molle'') extending to ...

''. The genus is largely limited to the

Guiana Shield The Guiana Shield (; ; ; ) is one of the three cratons of the South American Plate. It is a 1.7 billion-year-old Precambrian geological formation in northeast South America that forms a portion of the northern coast. The higher elevations on ...

and

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

. '' Bocoa prouacensis'' is the type species for this genus. Its name is derived from "Boco d'Aprouak" where ''Aprouak'' refers to the

Approuague river The Approuague () river (or Apuruaque in Tupi) is a major river in French Guiana. It is long. It runs north from the Tumuk Humak Mountains to the Atlantic Ocean, almost parallel with the Oyapock, with its mouth by the Pointe Béhague cape. The ...

French Guiana French Guiana, or Guyane in French, is an Overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department and region of France located on the northern coast of South America in the Guianas and the West Indies. Bordered by Suriname to the west ...

. It is predominantly found in French Guiana but is also substantially present in

Suriname Suriname, officially the Republic of Suriname, is a country in northern South America, also considered as part of the Caribbean and the West Indies. It is a developing country with a Human Development Index, high level of human development; i ...

. Timber from this species is one of the hardest and densest in the world. '' B. viridiflora'' is the largest tree in the genus, reaching 30 m. in height, and is the most widely distributed. Specimens sources for '' B. ratteri'' are limited to

Maranhão Maranhão () is a States of Brazil, state in Brazil. Located in the country's Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast Region, it has a population of about 7 million and an area of and it is divided into 217 municipalities. Clockwise from north, it ...

. The newest member of'' Bocoa'' to be described is '' B. marionii''. It was found in the Upper Essequibo region of Guyana and is most morphologically similar to ''B. prouacensis''.

References

Swartzieae Taxa named by Jean Baptiste Christophore Fusée Aublet Fabaceae genera Flora of Southern America {{Faboideae-stub