''Licania'' is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

of over 100 species of trees and shrubs in the

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

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 rig ...

. 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 biogeogra ...

forests from southern Mexico to Brazil and the

Lesser Antilles The Lesser Antilles is a group of islands in the Caribbean Sea, forming part of the West Indies in Caribbean, Caribbean region of the Americas. They are distinguished from the larger islands of the Greater Antilles to the west. They form an arc w ...

. Due to increased

deforestation Deforestation or forest clearance is the removal and destruction 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. Ab ...

and

loss of habitat Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss or habitat reduction) occurs when a natural habitat is no longer able to support its native species. The organisms once living there have either moved elsewhere, or are dead, leading to a decrease ...

, several species have declined, some markedly so, and '' L. caldasiana'' from Colombia appears to have gone

extinct Extinction is the termination of an organism by the death of its Endling, last member. A taxon may become Functional extinction, functionally extinct before the death of its last member if it loses the capacity to Reproduction, reproduce and ...

in recent years. Many species are either rare or restricted in distribution and therefore potentially threatened with future extinction. In 2016, a new circumscription of ''Licania'' was outlined, with over 100 species being placed in other genera such as '' Moquilea'', ''

Leptobalanus ''Leptobalanus'' is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Chrysobalanaceae. Its native range is Mexico to Southern Tropical America and Trinidad. ''Leptobalanus'' consists of species formerly placed in the genus ''Licania''. Speci ...

'', ''

Hymenopus ''Hymenopus''Serville JGA (1831) ''Annls Sci. nat.'' 22: 46. is a genus of flower mantises belonging to the family Hymenopodidae. This genus is widespread in the tropical forest Tropical forests are forested ecoregions with tropical climates ...

'', '' Microdesmia'', '' Parinariopsis'', ''

Geobalanus ''Geobalanus'' 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 (; ' ...

'' and ''

Cordillera A cordillera is a chain or network of mountain ranges, such as those in the west coast of the Americas. The term is borrowed from Spanish, where the word comes from , a diminutive of ('rope'). The term is most commonly used in physical geogra ...

''. 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 th ...

s. ''Licania'' fruit are important food for many animals and can also be eaten by humans.

Caterpillar Caterpillars ( ) are the larval stage of members of the order Lepidoptera (the insect order comprising butterflies and moths). As with most common names, the application of the word is arbitrary, since the larvae of sawflies (suborder ...

s of a possible new

taxon In biology, a taxon (back-formation from ''taxonomy''; : 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 name and ...

of the ''

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

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 ''Licania arborea'' (now ''

Microdesmia arborea ''Microdesmia'' is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Chrysobalanaceae. Its native range is Mexico to Southern Tropical America. ''Microdesmia'' consists of species formerly placed in the genus ''Licania ''Licania'' is a gen ...

'') 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 Flavonoids (or bioflavonoids; from the Latin word ''flavus'', meaning yellow, their color in nature) are a class of polyphenolic secondary metabolites found in plants, and thus commonly consumed in the diets of humans. Chemically, flavonoids ...

compounds.

Selected species

Species include: * '' Licania caldasiana'' * ''

Licania velutina ''Licania velutina'' is a species of plant in the family Chrysobalanaceae. It is endemic to Ecuador. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest A forest is an ecosystem characterized by a dense ecological commu ...

References

External links

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