Licania | |
---|---|
Licania nitida in Brazil | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Rosids |
Order: | Malpighiales |
Family: | Chrysobalanaceae |
Genus: | Licania Aubl. [1] |
Diversity | |
About 100 species | |
Synonyms [1] | |
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Licania is a genus of over 100 species of trees and shrubs in the family Chrysobalanaceae. [1] Species are found naturally occurring in neotropical forests from southern Mexico to Brazil and the Lesser Antilles. Due to increased deforestation and loss of habitat, several species have declined, some markedly so, and L. caldasiana from Colombia appears to have gone extinct in recent years. [2] 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 , Hymenopus , Microdesmia , Parinariopsis , Geobalanus and Cordillera . [3]
Several species are used as ornamental plants. Licania fruit are important food for many animals and can also be eaten by humans. Caterpillars of a possible new taxon of the Astraptes fulgerator cryptic species complex were found on Licania arborea (now Microdesmia arborea ) but do not seem to eat them regularly. [4] [5] Like other members of its family, the genus is known for producing a diverse array of flavonoid compounds. [6] [7] [8]
Species include: [1]
Celtis is a genus of about 60–70 species of deciduous trees, commonly known as hackberries or nettle trees, widespread in warm temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. The genus is part of the extended Cannabis family (Cannabaceae).
Scorzonera is a genus of flowering plants in the tribe Cichorieae within the family Asteraceae.
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Crepis, commonly known in some parts of the world as hawksbeard or hawk's-beard, is a genus of annual and perennial flowering plants of the family Asteraceae superficially resembling the dandelion, the most conspicuous difference being that Crepis usually has branching scapes with multiple heads. The genus name Crepis derives from the Greek krepis, meaning "slipper" or "sandal", possibly in reference to the shape of the fruit.
Arachidonate 5-lipoxygenase-activating protein also known as 5-lipoxygenase activating protein, or FLAP, is a protein that in humans is encoded by the ALOX5AP gene.
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Centrosema, the butterfly peas, is a genus of American vines in the legume family (Fabaceae). It includes 44 species, which range through the tropical and warm-temperate Americas from the southern United States to northern Argentina. Species include:
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Capparis is a genus of flowering plants in the family Capparaceae. It includes 142 species of shrubs or lianas which are collectively known as caper shrubs or caperbushes. Capparis species occur over a wide range of habitat in the subtropical and tropical regions of Africa, Eurasia, Australasia, and the Pacific.
Hypericum olympicum, commonly known as the Mount Olympus St. John's wort, is a species of flowering plant in the family Hypericaceae found in the Balkans and Turkey and introduced to western Europe. It has been widely cultivated for centuries because of its large, showy flowers, which are far larger than those of most other species in Hypericum.
DNA barcoding is a method of species identification using a short section of DNA from a specific gene or genes. The premise of DNA barcoding is that by comparison with a reference library of such DNA sections, an individual sequence can be used to uniquely identify an organism to species, just as a supermarket scanner uses the familiar black stripes of the UPC barcode to identify an item in its stock against its reference database. These "barcodes" are sometimes used in an effort to identify unknown species or parts of an organism, simply to catalog as many taxa as possible, or to compare with traditional taxonomy in an effort to determine species boundaries.
Iris kashmiriana is a plant species in the genus Iris, it is also in the subgenus Iris. It is a rhizomatous perennial, from Kashmir, India. It has straight, sword-shaped, glaucous leaves, tall, thick stem with up 2 short branches, which hold 2–3 flowers, which can be white, cream or pale blue, lilac, lavender or blue-purple. It is cultivated as an ornamental plant in temperate regions, although in Kashmir, it is also planted on graves.
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Licania pyrifolia, commonly known as merecure, is a species of flowering tree in the family Chrysobalanaceae. It has large green fruits, similar in size to the avocado, greenish with whitish freckles. It is widespread in the Llanos or Great Plains of the Orinoco river. The fruit is edible and it used to be planted near the Fundos for shade because it is evergreen and because of its fruit. It contains compounds that can be used to control snails and other mollusks harmful to crops. Its Latin name alludes to its leaves being similar to those of the pear tree. It is the flagship tree of the state of Apure in Venezuela.
Boscia angustifolia is a shrub or small tree with lanceolate leaves commonly found in the savannah zones of Africa, from Senegal moving eastwards to Sudan. It is part of the Capparaceae family. The plant is also known as the rough-leaved shepherds tree.
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