PlantaeDB Logo
Login Sign-up

Genus Ticorea in Family Rutaceae

In botanical taxonomy, a genus (plural genera) is a rank used to group closely related species within a family. In the hierarchy, genus sits below family and above species.

Genera are defined by shared morphological, anatomical, and genetic characteristics (for example, features of flowers, fruits, seeds, or leaves) that indicate a close evolutionary relationship among the species they contain.

Each genus can include one or more species. Examples include Rosa (roses) and Solanum (nightshades, including tomato and eggplant).

Do you wish to read more about plant taxonomy? Click here!

Genus Description

Suggest a correction!

The genus Ticorea Aubl. resides in Rutaceae (citrus family) (APG IV, 2016). It contains about eight accepted species (POWO, 2024). The group comprises neotropical shrubs or small trees ranging from the Guianas across the northern Amazon basin, mainly in lowland tropical rainforest. The type species, Ticorea foetida Aubl., was designated by Aublet (1775) and anchors the nomenclatural definition of the genus.

Plants are unarmed, with opposite to subopposite, simple, entire leaves that bear conspicuous pellucid oil glands, a hallmark of Rutaceae (Kubitzki, 1998). Stipules are absent and the indumentum is usually glabrous. Inflorescences are small, axillary cymes bearing 5‑merous flowers with five free sepals, five petals, and typically ten stamens arranged in two whorls. The superior ovary is 5‑locular, each locule bearing several ovules on axile placentae. Fruits are small, dehiscent capsules that split into five valves, exposing glossy black seeds.

Species richness peaks in the Guiana Shield, where several narrow endemics occupy forested hill slopes below 800 m, a pattern consistent with regional phylogeography (Miller et al., 2022). Other taxa spread through lowland Amazonian terra firme and white‑sand forests, reaching the Orinoco basin. The genus displays a classic Guianan‑Amazonian disjunction, reflecting Pleistocene refugia and subsequent colonization events.

Pollination is inferred to be entomophilous, given the showy, relatively unscented flowers typical of many Rutaceae (Miller et al., 2022). Fruits are fleshy drupes that probably attract birds or small mammals for dispersal, although direct observations are limited. The genus is perennial, reproducing sexually and occasionally vegetatively through root suckers. No consistent chromosome data have been reported for Ticorea; available counts for related taxa suggest a base number of x = 9, but this requires verification.

No infrageneric sections are currently recognized; Ticorea is treated as a monophyletic lineage within the Rutaceae subfamily Aurantioideae (APG IV, 2016). Phylogenomics places it sister to a New‑World clade that includes Galipea (Miller et al., 2022). Historically, some authors have merged Ticorea into Galipea, a view reflected in regional treatments (Govaerts et al., 2015), yet Kew’s checklist retains Ticorea as distinct (POWO, 2024). The circumscription is stable, though a few Amazonian populations await reassessment.

Ticorea has limited economic use. It is occasionally cultivated for its fragrant, bell‑shaped flowers but is not a commercial crop. The wood is soft and not used for timber. No invasive behavior is recorded.

Habitat loss from deforestation and field surveys threaten most species; none have IUCN assessments. Continued monitoring and integration into conservation planning will be vital.

Pick a Species to see its components: