Biology:Guarea

Short description: Genus of plants

Guarea
Guarea guidonia
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Sapindales
Family:	Meliaceae
Subfamily:	Melioideae
Genus:	Guarea F. Allam ex L.
Species
See text

Guarea is a genus of evergreen trees or shrubs in the family Meliaceae, native to tropical Africa and Central and South America. At their largest, they are large trees 20–45 m tall, with a trunk over 1 m diameter, often buttressed at the base. The leaves are pinnate, with 4–6 pairs of leaflets, the terminal leaflet present. They are dioecious, with male and female flowers on separate plants. The flowers are produced in loose inflorescences, each flower small, with 4–5 yellowish petals. The fruit is a four or five-valved capsule, containing several seeds, each surrounded by a yellow-orange fleshy aril; the seeds are dispersed by hornbills and monkeys which eat the aril.

Species

Species accepted by Plants of the World Online as of March 2019:

Uses

The timber is important; the African species are known as bossé, guarea, or pink mahogany, and the South American species as cramantee or American muskwood. It is said to possibly cause hallucinations if ingested.

Corinthos sculpture in guarea wood by Barbara Hepworth at Tate Liverpool

The wood can be used for sculpture and was favoured by the British 20th century sculptor Barbara Hepworth.

References

Wikidata ☰ Q3307770 entry