''Operculicarya'' (also ''Operculicaria'') is a plant

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 ...

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 ...

Anacardiaceae The Anacardiaceae, commonly known as the cashew family or sumac family, are a family of flowering plants, including about 83 genera with about 860 known species. Members of the Anacardiaceae bear fruits that are drupes and in some cases produce ...

, native to

Madagascar Madagascar, officially the Republic of Madagascar, is an island country that includes the island of Madagascar and numerous smaller peripheral islands. Lying off the southeastern coast of Africa, it is the world's List of islands by area, f ...

, the

Comoro Islands The Comoro Islands are a group of volcanic islands in the Mozambique Channel, an arm of the Indian Ocean lying between Madagascar and the African mainland. Three of the islands form the Union of the Comoros, a sovereign nation, while Mayotte bel ...

, and

Aldabra Aldabra, the world's second-largest coral atoll (the largest is Kiritimati), is located east of the continent of Africa. It is part of the Aldabra Group of islands in the Indian Ocean that are part of the Outer Islands (Seychelles), Outer Islands ...

. They are small

dioecious Dioecy ( ; ; adj. dioecious, ) is a characteristic of certain species that have distinct unisexual individuals, each producing either male or female gametes, either directly (in animals) or indirectly (in seed plants). Dioecious reproduction is ...

pachycaul Pachycauls are plants with a disproportionately thick trunk, for their height, and relatively few branches. With certain pachycaul species, particularly the more succulent varieties, they are commonly referred to as "caudiciformes", a reference t ...

trees which mainly grow in dry, rocky areas.

Taxonomy

Species

, ''Plants of the World online'' has 8 accepted species: * '' Operculicarya borealis'' * '' Operculicarya calcicola'' * '' Operculicarya capuronii'' * ''

Operculicarya decaryi ''Operculicarya decaryi'', known as elephant tree or jabily, is a thick stemmed succulent plant species in the family (biology), family Anacardiaceae, named after the botany, botanical collector :fr:Raymond Decary, Raymond Decary. It is found in ...

'' * '' Operculicarya hirsutissima'' * ''

Operculicarya hyphaenoides ''Operculicarya'' (also ''Operculicaria'') is a plant genus in the family (biology), family Anacardiaceae, native to Madagascar, the Comoro Islands, and Aldabra. They are small dioecy, dioecious pachycaul trees which mainly grow in dry, rocky are ...

'' * '' Operculicarya multijuga'' * '' Operculicarya pachypus''

References

Anacardiaceae Anacardiaceae genera Dioecious plants Taxa named by Joseph Marie Henry Alfred Perrier de la Bâthie Flora of the Western Indian Ocean {{Anacardiaceae-stub