Lecythidaceae
Flower of Barringtonia asiatica (futu) on Tongatapu
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Asterids
Order:	Ericales
Family:	Lecythidaceae A.Rich.[1]
Genera
See text

The Lecythidaceae (/ˌlɛsɪθɪˈdeɪʃiː/ LESS-ith-ih-DAY-shee) comprise a family of about 20 genera and 250–300 species of woody plants native to tropical South America, Africa (including Madagascar), Asia and Australia.

The most important member of the family in world trade is the Brazil nut (Bertholletia excelsa), valued for its edible nuts; the paradise nut (Lecythis species) is also eaten.

Taxonomy

According to the most recent molecular analysis of Lecythidaceae by Mori et al. (2007),^[2] the three subfamilies are:

• Foetidioideae (Foetidiaceae) from Madagascar include only Foetidia.
• Planchonioideae (including Barringtonia) are restricted to the Old World tropics.
• Lecythidoideae (Lecythidaceae) are restricted to the New World tropics.

Two other families are sometimes included in Lecythidaceae; the Scytopetalaceae and Napoleonaeaceae are hypothesized as most closely related to Lecythidaceae.

The APG II system of 2003 includes genera from the family Scytopetalaceae in the Lecythidaceae, including Rhaptopetalum and Brazzeia.

Genera

The family Lecythidaceae includes the following genera:

• Abdulmajidia Whitmore, also as Barringtoniaceae sensu Takhtajan 1997 ^[3]
• Allantoma Miers
• Asteranthos Desf., also as Asteranthaceae^[3]
• Barringtonia J.R.Forst. & G.Forst., also as Barringtoniaceae ^[3]
• Bertholletia Bonpl.
• Brazzeia Verc.
• Careya Roxb., also as Barringtoniaceae ^[3]
• Cariniana Casar.
• Chydenanthus Miers, also as Barringtoniaceae ^[3]
• Corythophora R.Knuth
• Couratari Aubl.
• Couroupita Aubl.
• Crateranthus Baker f., incertae sedis according to Takhtajan, perhaps Napoleonaeaceae^[3]
• Eschweilera Mart. ex DC.
• Foetidia Comm. ex Lam., also as Foetidiaceae ^[3]
• Grias L.
• Gustavia L.
• Lecythis Loefl.
• Napoleonaea P.Beauv., also as Napoleonaeaceae^[3]
• Petersianthus Merr., also as Barringtoniaceae ^[3]
• Pierrina Engl.
• Planchonia Blume, also as Barringtoniaceae ^[3]
• Rhaptopetalum Oliv.
• Scytopetalum Engl.