| Micropholis | |
|---|---|
| |
| Micropholis crassipedicellata | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Ericales |
| Family: | Sapotaceae |
| Subfamily: | Chrysophylloideae |
| Genus: | Micropholis (Griseb.) Pierre |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Micropholis is genus of trees in the family Sapotaceae, described in 1891.
These trees are native to tropical South America, Mesoamerica, and the West Indies. Most are locally known as "cafetos", literally meaning "coffee plants". But while both Micropholis and the coffeeplant genus Coffea are asterids, the present genus is part of the Ericales – a quite basal asterid lineage –, while Coffea belongs to the more advanced Gentianales.
They are valued for their wood, which is used as timber, for construction and as firewood; many species are threatened by overexploitation and habitat destruction. Also, they are often used as part of catuaba, a decoction from various tree's bark claimed to have aphrodisiac and stimulant properties.
Caimitillo verde (M. garciniifolia) is an important food source of the nearly-extinct Puerto Rican amazon bird (Amazona vittata).
- Species
- Micropholis acutangula - French Guiana, Amapá
- Micropholis brochidodroma - Ecuador, N Peru
- Micropholis casiquiarensis - Guyana, Venezuela (Amazonas), Brazil (Amazonas)
- Micropholis caudata - Brazil (Amazonas)
- Micropholis cayennensis - French Guiana, Amapá
- Micropholis compta - E Brazil
- Micropholis crassipedicellata - E + S Brazil
- Micropholis crotonoides - Costa Rica, Panama, St. Lucia, NW South America
- Micropholis cylindrocarpa - Brazil (Amazonas), Peru (Loreto)
- Micropholis egensis - Panama, N South America
- Micropholis emarginata - Bahia
- Micropholis garciniifolia - Puerto Rico
- Micropholis gardneriana - Venezuela, Colombia, Brazil
- Micropholis gnaphaloclados - Brazil, Bolivia
- Micropholis grandiflora - Brazil (Amazonas)
- Micropholis guyanensis - Costa Rica, Panama, West Indies, tropSouth America
- Micropholis humboldtiana - Venezuela, Brazil
- Micropholis longipedicellata - French Guiana, Suriname, Guyana, Amapá
- Micropholis macrophylla - Peru (Loreto)
- Micropholis madeirensis - Brazil (Amazonas), Peru (Loreto)
- Micropholis maguirei - Venezuela, Brazil
- Micropholis melinoniana - S Mexico, Central America, NW South America
- Micropholis mensalis - French Guiana, Suriname, Guyana, Venezuela, N Brazil
- Micropholis obscura - French Guiana, Suriname, Guyana, Peru, N Brazil
- Micropholis polita - Cuba, Haiti
- Micropholis porphyrocarpa - French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, N Brazil
- Micropholis resinifera - Brazil (Amazonas)
- Micropholis retusa - Brazil (Amazonas)
- Micropholis rugosa - Jamaica
- Micropholis sanctae-rosae - French Guiana, Ecuador, Peru, N Brazil
- Micropholis spectabilis - Bolívar
- Micropholis splendens - Venezuela, Brazil
- Micropholis submarginalis - Brazil (Amazonas)
- Micropholis suborbicularis - Venezuela
- Micropholis trunciflora - Peru, N Brazil
- Micropholis venamoensis - Bolívar
- Micropholis venulosa - Central + South America
- Micropholis williamii - Brazil (Amazonas, Pará)
References
- ^ Tropicos, Micropholis (Griseb.) Pierre
- ^ Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
- Pierre, Jean Baptiste Louis. 1891. Notes Botaniques: Sapotacées 2: 37–38
- Govaerts, R.; Harvey, Y.; Jessup, L.; Pennington, T.D. & Vink, W. (2001): World Checklist of Sapotaceae – Micropholis. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 2008-DEC-24.
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