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Lecythis ( LESS-ith-iss) is a genus of woody plants in the Lecythidaceae family first described as a genus in 1758. It is native to Central America and South America. Several species produce edible seeds and referred to by a variety of common names including paradise nut, monkey pot, cream nut, and sapucaia nut.
A phylogenetic study published in 2024 by Vargas et al. concluded that Lecythis was polyphyletic. The authors proposed leaving the core Ollaria clade in Lecythis, and placing the Poiteau and Chartacea sections of Lecythis in a revived Chytroma, the Pisonis section in a reinstated Pachylecythis, and the Corrugata clade in the new genus Guaiania.
The nuts of most Lecythis species are edible. Lecythis zabucajo is perhaps the most important edible species, but the seeds of L. ollaria and L. pisonis are also used.
Chytroma · Lecythis ampla · Lecythis barnebyi · Lecythis brancoensis · Lecythis lanceolata · Lecythis lurida · Lecythis · Lecythis · Lecythis parvifructa · Lecythis poiteaui · Lecythis prancei · Lecythis retusa
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Lecythis by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts are shared under the same licence.
