Micropholis
- For the prehistoric amphibian genus, see Micropholis (amphibian). The brittle star genus described as Micropholis has been renamed Microphiopholis.
| Micropholis | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Micropholis crassipedicellata | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Asterids |
| Order: | Ericales |
| Family: | Sapotaceae |
| Genus: | Micropholis (Griseb.) Pierre |
| Synonyms[1][2] | |
| |
Micropholis is group of trees in the family Sapotaceae, described as a genus in 1891.[3][1][4]
These trees are native to tropical South America, Mesoamerica, and the West Indies.[2] 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[2]
- 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
- 1 2 Tropicos, Micropholis (Griseb.) Pierre
- 1 2 3 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.