''Ruizodendron'' is a

monotypic genus In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unispe ...

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 belonging to the family

Annonaceae The Annonaceae are a Family (biology), family of flowering plants consisting of trees, shrubs, or rarely lianas commonly known as the custard apple family or soursop family. With 108 accepted genera and about 2400 known species, it is the largest ...

. It is part of

Malmeoideae The ''Malmeoideae'' are a subfamily of trees and other plants of the family Annonaceae. Tribes and Genera The Angiosperm Phylogeny Website, which recognises Malmeoideae as one of four subfamilies, containing 9 tribes and the following genera: ...

subfamily and ''Malmeeae'' tribe. The only known species is ''Ruizodendron ovale''. Its native range is western South America and it is found in northern Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Honduras and Peru. It grows in tropical rain forests. The genus name of ''Ruizodendron'' is in honour of

Hipólito Ruiz López Hipólito Ruiz López (August 8, 1754 in Belorado, Burgos, Spain – 1816 in Madrid), or Hipólito Ruiz, was a Spanish botanist known for researching the floras of Peru and Chile during an expedition under Charles III of Spain, Carlos III from 17 ...

(1754–1815), a Spanish botanist known for researching the floras of Peru and Chile during an expedition under Carlos III from 1777 to 1788, and the Greek word for tree ''dendron''. The Latin

specific epithet In Taxonomy (biology), taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, both of which use Latin gramm ...

of ''ovale'' is derived from Latin ''ovum'' meaning egg-shaped. Both the genus and the species were first described and published in Ark. Bot. Vol.28 (Edition 4) on page 3 in 1936.

References

{{Taxonbar, from1=Q10365361, from2=Q15365795 Annonaceae Annonaceae genera Monotypic Magnoliales genera Plants described in 1936 Flora of western South America Flora of North Brazil Taxa named by Robert Elias Fries Taxa named by Hipólito Ruiz López Taxa named by José Antonio Pavón Jiménez