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{{Short description|Genus of flowering plants}}
{{Italic title}}
{{taxobox
{{automatic taxobox
|name =
|image = Cryptocarya.PNG
|image = Cryptocarya.PNG
⚫
|taxon = Cryptocarya
|regnum = [[Plant]]ae
⚫
|authority = [[Robert Brown (botanist, born 1773)|R.Br.]]{{R|POWO}}
|unranked_divisio = [[Angiosperm]]s
|unranked_classis = [[Magnoliid]]s
|ordo = [[Laurales]]
|familia = [[Lauraceae]]
⚫
|genus = '''''Cryptocarya'''''
⚫
|genus_authority = [[Robert Brown (Scottish botanist from Montrose)|R.Br.]]
|subdivision_ranks = Species
|subdivision_ranks = Species
|subdivision = over 350; see text
|subdivision = over 350; see text
|synonyms =
|synonyms =
*''Agathophyllum'' {{small|Juss.}}
*''Caryodaphne'' <small>[[Carl Ludwig Blume|Blume]] ex [[Nees]]</small>
*''Caryodaphne'' {{small|Blume ex Nees}}
*''Dahlgrenodendron'' <small>[[J.J.M.Van der Merwe]] & [[A.E.van Wyk]]</small>
*''Dahlgrenodendron'' {{small|J.J.M.van der Merwe & A.E.van Wyk}}
*''Icosandra'' <small>[[Phil.]]</small>
*''Massoia'' <small>[[Becc.]]</small>
*''Evodia'' {{small|Gaertn.}}
*''Pseudocryptocarya'' <small>[[Teschner]]</small>
*''Icosandra'' {{small|Phil.}}
*''Ravensara'' <small>[[Sonn.]]</small>
*''Kerrdora'' {{small|Gagnep.}}
*''Massoia'' {{small|Becc.}}
*''Salgada'' <small>[[Francisco Manuel Blanco|Blanco]]</small>
*''Pseudocryptocarya'' {{small|Teschner}}
⚫
|}}
*''Ravensara'' {{small|Sonn.}}
*''Salgada'' {{small|Blanco}}
|synonyms_ref = {{R|POWO}}
⚫
}}
[[File:Peumo17.jpg|thumb|right|220px|Peumo leaves]]
[[File:Peumo17.jpg|thumb|right|220px|Peumo leaves]]
[[File:Cryptocarya macrocarpa MHNT.BOT.2010.6.65.jpg|thumb|''Cryptocarya macrocarpa'' - [[MHNT]]]]
[[File:Cryptocarya macrocarpa MHNT.BOT.2010.6.65.jpg|thumb|''Cryptocarya macrocarpa'' - [[MHNT]]]]


'''''Cryptocarya''''' is a [[genus]] of [[evergreen]] [[tree]]s belonging to the laurel family, [[Lauraceae]]. The genus includes more than 350 species, distributed through the [[Neotropic]], [[Afrotropic]], [[Indomalaya]], and [[Australasia ecozone]]s.
'''''Cryptocarya''''' is a [[genus]] of [[evergreen]] [[tree]]s belonging to the laurel family, [[Lauraceae]]. The genus includes more than 350 species, distributed through the [[Neotropical realm|Neotropical]], [[Afrotropical realm|Afrotropical]], [[Indomalayan realm|Indomalayan]], and [[Australasian realm]]s.


==Overview==
==Overview==
{{More citations needed|section|date=October 2023}}
The genus includes [[species]] of evergreen trees, distributed mostly in tropical and subtropical regions of South America, Mauritius, India, China, Java, New Guinea, and Africa, seven species in Southern Africa.
The genus includes [[species]] of evergreen trees, distributed mostly in tropical and subtropical regions of South America, India, China, Java, New Guinea, Africa, Madagascar, and Mauritius, with seven species in Southern Africa.


Common in the canopy, they grow up to 60 m, or as subcanopy trees in the succession climax species in tropical, lower temperate, or subtropical broadleaved forests. <!-- Across communities of evergreen broadleaved forest and mixed coniferous-broadleaved forest. --> They are found in low-elevation evergreen forests and littoral rainforests, on all type of soils. The seeds are readily dispersed by fruit-eating birds, and seedlings and saplings have been recorded from other habitats where they are unlikely to develop to maturity.
Common in the canopy, they grow up to 60 m, or as subcanopy trees in the succession climax species in tropical, lower temperate, or subtropical broadleaved forests. <!-- Across communities of evergreen broadleaved forest and mixed coniferous-broadleaved forest. --> They are found in low-elevation evergreen forests and littoral rainforests, on all type of soils. The seeds are readily dispersed by fruit-eating birds, and seedlings and saplings have been recorded from other habitats where they are unlikely to develop to maturity.


The genus name ''Cryptocarya'' is from a Greek word ''krypto'' meaning to hide, ''karya'' meaning a walnut tree, the fruit of which was known as ''karyon', a word also used to describe other fruits. Sometimes, they are called mountain laurels or mountain walnuts. The fruit are succulent, partially immersed in a deep, thick cup.
The genus name ''Cryptocarya'' is from a Greek word ''krypto'' meaning to hide, ''karya'' meaning a walnut tree, the fruit of which was known as ''karyon'', a word also used to describe other fruits. Sometimes, they are called mountain laurels or mountain walnuts. The fruit are succulent, partially immersed in a deep, thick cup.


⚫
The species forming this genus share a unique paniculate inflorescence with the ultimate divisions that are not quite cymose; that is, the lateral flowers of what looks like a cyme are not strictly opposite, but tend to be subopposite, while in most genera of Lauraceae with paniculate inflorescences the lateral flowers in a cyme are strictly opposite.
⚫
In a recent generic classification of Lauraceae based on DNA sequence,<ref>dataChanderbali ''et al. in 2001''</ref> ''Cryptocarya'' was found to be part of a strongly supported clade that also includes ''[[Beilschmiedia]], [[Potameia]], [[Endiandra]]'' and ''[[Aspidostemon]]''.<ref>http://www.mnhn.fr/museum/front/medias/publication/8185_a06n1a1.pdf</ref>

⚫
In a recent generic classification of Lauraceae based on DNA sequence,<ref>dataChanderbali ''et al. in 2001''</ref> ''Cryptocarya'' was found to be part of a strongly supported clade that also includes ''[[Beilschmiedia]], [[Potameia]], [[Endiandra]]'' and ''[[Aspidostemon]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mnhn.fr/museum/front/medias/publication/8185_a06n1a1.pdf |title=Archived copy |accessdate=2011-11-06 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110808034921/http://www.mnhn.fr/museum/front/medias/publication/8185_a06n1a1.pdf |archivedate=2011-08-08 }}</ref> In both ''Aspidostemon '' and ''Cryptocarya'', the fruit are enclosed in the enlarged hypanthium, but this might be a parallel development and not a signal of common ancestry.


==Ecology==
==Ecology==
{{More citations needed|section|date=October 2023}}
The ecological requirements of the genus are those of the [[laurel forest]], mostly from the tropics or warmer temperate areas, and like most of their counterparts laurifolia in the world, they are vigorous species with a great ability to populate conducive habitats. The natural habitat of most of species are in rainforest which are cloud-covered for much of the year. These species are found in forests that face threats of destruction by human [[deforestation]]. Some species are in danger of extinction due to loss of habitat.
The ecological requirements of the genus are those of the [[laurel forest]], mostly from the tropics or warmer temperate areas, and like most of their counterparts laurifolia in the world, they are vigorous species with a great ability to populate conducive habitats. The natural habitat of most of species are in rainforest which are cloud-covered for much of the year. These species are found in forests that face threats of destruction by human [[deforestation]]. Some species are in danger of extinction due to loss of habitat.

''Cryptocarya'' is a genus of great ecological importance. It is present in low rainforest and montane rainforest, [[laurel forest]], in the weed-tree forests in valleys, and mixed forests of coniferous and deciduous broad-leaved trees.
''Cryptocarya'' is a genus of great ecological importance. It is present in low rainforest and montane rainforest, [[laurel forest]], in the weed-tree forests in valleys, and mixed forests of coniferous and deciduous broad-leaved trees.
⚫
The differences are ecological adaptations to different environments over a relatively dry-wet and a warmer to mild frost (-2°C) in temperate climate growing in cooler regions, subject to frost and occasional snow. Species in less-humid environments are smaller or less robust, with less abundant and thinner foliage and have oleifera cells that give trees a more fragrant aroma.
⚫
The most known trees are used by the timber industry. In this genus, the wood of some species has high commercial value.


⚫
The differences are ecological adaptations to different environments over a relatively dry-wet and a warmer to mild frost (-2&nbsp;°C) in temperate climate growing in cooler regions, subject to frost and occasional snow.
⚫
The species forming this genus share a unique paniculate inflorescence with the ultimate divisions that are not quite cymose; that is, the lateral flowers of what looks like a cyme are not strictly opposite, but tend to be subopposite, while in most genera of Lauraceae with paniculate inflorescences the lateral flowers in a cyme are strictly opposite.
⚫
The Chilean ''[[Cryptocarya alba]]'' and the Australian ''[[Cryptocarya erythroxylon|C. erythroxylon]]'' and ''[[Cryptocarya foveolata|C. foveolata]]'' of the mountains of [[New South Wales]] are outstanding for their frost tolerance within a genus having its majority of species growing in [[tropical climate]]s. Species in less-humid environments are smaller or less robust, with less abundant and thinner foliage and have oleifera cells that give trees a more fragrant aroma.


⚫
The fruit, a drupe, is an important food source for birds, usually from specialized genera. Birds eat the whole fruit and regurgitate seeds intact, expanding the seeds in the best conditions for germination ([[Biological dispersal|ornithochory]]). In some species, [[seed dispersal]] is carried out by [[mammal]]s.
''Cryptocarya'' has always been considered closely related to'' Ravensara'', and is also related to the'' Beilschmiedia' clade and that, based on the presence of fruit included in the enlarged hypanthium, it is yet most closely related to ''Aspidostemon'', through the similarity in fruit structure; in both ''Aspidostemon ''and ''Cryptocarya'', the fruit are enclosed in the enlarged hypanthium, but this might be a parallel development and not a signal of common ancestry.
⚫
The fruit, a drupe, is an important food source for birds, usually from specialized genera. Birds eat the whole fruit and regurgitate seeds intact, expanding the seeds in the best conditions for germination ([[Biological dispersal|ornitochory]]). In some species, [[seed dispersal]] is carried out by [[mammal]]s.


==Human use==
==Human use==
⚫
The most known trees are used by the timber industry. In this genus, the wood of some species has high commercial value.
===Commercial selected species===

⚫
The Chilean ''[[Cryptocarya alba]]'' and the Australian ''[[Cryptocarya erythroxylon|C. erythroxylon]]'' and ''[[Cryptocarya foveolata|C. foveolata]]'' of the mountains of [[New South Wales]] are outstanding for their frost tolerance within a genus having its majority of species growing in [[tropical climate]].
⚫
''C. alba'', the [[Cryptocarya alba|peumo]], the most common evergreen tree in the [[Chilean Matorral]] [[ecoregion]] of central Chile, produces edible reddish fruits and is the most known species in the [[Southern Hemisphere]].{{cn|date=October 2023}} ''C. massoy'' is used commercially to produce [[essential oil]]s.{{cn|date=October 2023}} ''C. woodii'' leaves have been found in prehistoric settlements in Africa and are believed to have been used for insect control.<ref>{{cite journal |vauthors=Wadley L, Sievers C, Bamford M, Goldberg P, Berna F, Miller C |title=Middle Stone Age bedding construction and settlement patterns at Sibudu, South Africa |journal=Science |volume=334 |issue=6061 |pages=1388–91 |year=2011 |pmid=22158814 |doi=10.1126/science.1213317 |bibcode=2011Sci...334.1388W |s2cid=11063722 }}</ref>
''[[Cryptocarya woodii]]'' flowers in November with small inconspicuous flowers. These small flowers develop into round, shiny, purple-black fruits. This tree has a very hard brown wood.

⚫
''C. alba'', the [[Cryptocarya alba|peumo]], the most common evergreen tree in the [[Chilean Matorral]] [[ecoregion]] of central Chile, produces edible reddish fruits and is the most known species in the [[Northern Hemisphere]]. ''C. massoy'' is used commercially to produce [[essential oil]]s. ''C. woodii'' leaves have been found in prehistoric settlements in Africa and are believed to have been used for insect control.<ref>http://www.sciencemag.org/content/334/6061/1388.abstract?sid=dea70c2a-37dc-4d02-909e-5c80bacd3d9f</ref>
[[Essential oil]] is commercially harvested from ''[[Cryptocarya agathophylla]]'' (formerly ''Ravensara aromatica''), a tree native to the lowland rainforests of eastern Madagascar. Known as Ravensara oil, it is used for [[aromatherapy]] in Europe and America.<ref>Hanitriniaina Sahondra Andrianoelisoa, Chantal Menut, Panja Ramanoelina, Falihery Raobelison, Philippe Collas de Chatelperron, & Pascal Danthu (2010). "Chemical Composition of Essential Oils From Bark and Leaves of Individual Trees of Ravensara aromatica Sonnerat", ''Journal of Essential Oil Research'', 22:1, 66-70, DOI: 10.1080/10412905.2010.9700267</ref>


==Some ''Cryptocarya'' species==
==Some ''Cryptocarya'' species==
The following is a list of ''Cryptocarya'' species with articles on this wiki. For the full list of all 362 accepted species see the page [[List of Cryptocarya species]].
{{div col|cols=3}}
{{div col|colwidth=28em}}
*''[[Cryptocarya acuminata|C. acuminata]]''
*''[[Cryptocarya alba|C. alba]]'' - peumo (Chile)
*''[[Cryptocarya agathophylla]]'' {{small|van der Werff}} - Madagascar
*''[[Cryptocarya angulata|C. angulata]]'' - ivory laurel (Australia)
*''[[Cryptocarya alba]]'' {{small|(Molina) Looser}} - Chile
*''[[Cryptocarya aristata|C. aristata]]''
*''[[Cryptocarya anamalayana]]'' {{small|Gamble}} - India
*''[[Cryptocarya ashersoniana|C. ashersoniana]]'' (Brazil)
*''[[Cryptocarya bidwillii]]'' {{small|Meisn.}} - Queensland, New South Wales
*''[[Cryptocarya bidwillii|C. bidwillii]]'' - yellow laurel (Australia)
*''[[Cryptocarya caesia]]'' {{small|Blume}} - Andaman Islands, Vietnam, Peninsula Malaysia, Java
*''[[Cryptocarya chinensis|C. chinensis]]'' <!-- Image with unknown copyright status removed: [[Image:Cryptocarya_alba2.JPG|thumb|right|''C alba'']] -->
*''[[Cryptocarya chinensis]]'' {{small|(Hance) Hemsl.}} - Japan, China, Taiwan, Vietnam
*''[[Cryptocarya chingii|C. chingii]]''
*''[[Cryptocarya corrugata]]'' {{small|C.T.White & W.D.Francis}} - Queensland
*''[[Cryptocarya cinnamomifolia|C. cinnamomifolia]]'' (Australia)
*''[[Cryptocarya cunninghamii]]'' {{small|Meisn.}} - Western Australia, Northern Territory, Queensland
*''[[Cryptocarya concinna|C. concinna]]''
*''[[Cryptocarya elegans]]'' {{small|(Reinecke) A.C.Sm.}} - Samoa
*''[[Cryptocarya corrugata|C. corrugata]]''
*''[[Cryptocarya elliptifolia]]'' {{small|Merr.}} - Philippines, Orchid Island (Taiwan)
*''[[Cryptocarya crassinervia|C. crassinervia]]'' (Indonesia)
*''[[Cryptocarya erythroxylon]]'' {{small|Maiden & Betche}} - Queensland, New South Wales
*''[[Cryptocarya ferrarsi]]'' {{small|King ex Hook.f.}} - Assam, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Andaman Islands
*''[[Cryptocarya cunninghamiana|C. cunninghamiana]]'' - Cunningham’s laurel (Australia)
*''[[Cryptocarya densiflora|C. densiflora]]'' (Indonesia)
*''[[Cryptocarya floydii]]'' {{small|Kosterm.}} - Queensland, New South Wales
*''[[Cryptocarya erythroxylon|C. erythroxylon]] - pigeonberry ash (southeast Australia)
*''[[Cryptocarya foetida]]'' {{small|R.T.Baker}} - Queensland, New South Wales
*''[[Cryptocarya ferrarsii|C. ferrarsii]]
*''[[Cryptocarya foveolata]]'' {{small|C.T.White & W.D.Francis}} - Queensland, New South Wales
*''[[Cryptocarya ferrea|C. ferrea]]''
*''[[Cryptocarya glaucescens]]'' {{small|R.Br.}} - Queensland, New South Wales
*''[[Cryptocarya floydii|C. floydii]]'' - gorge laurel (Australia)
*''[[Cryptocarya gregsonii]]'' {{small|Maiden}} - Lord Howe Island
*''[[Cryptocarya foetida|C. foetida]]'' - stinking laurel (Australia) -vulnerable
*''[[Cryptocarya laevigata]]'' {{small|Blume}} - Malesia, Papuasia, Queensland, New South Wales
*''[[Cryptocarya foveolata|C. foveolata]]'' - mountain walnut (southeast Australia)
*''[[Cryptocarya mackinnoniana]]'' {{small|F.Muell.}} - Papuasia, Queensland
*''[[Cryptocarya gigantocarpa|C. gigantocarpa]]''
*''[[Cryptocarya meissneriana]]'' {{small|Frodin}} - Queensland, New South Wales
*''[[Cryptocarya glaucescens|C. glaucescens]]'' - jackwood (Australia)
*''[[Cryptocarya microneura]]'' {{small|Meisn.}} - Queensland, New South Wales
*''[[Cryptocarya grandis|C. grandis]]'' - cinnamon laurel (Australia)
*''[[Cryptocarya nova-anglica]]'' {{small|B.Hyland & Floyd}} - Queensland, New South Wales
*''[[Cryptocarya gregsonii|C. gregsonii]]'' (Lord Howe Island)
*''[[Cryptocarya obovata]]'' {{small|R.Br.}} - Queensland, New South Wales
*''[[Cryptocarya hypospodia|C. hypospodia]]'' (Australia)
*''[[Cryptocarya onoprienkoana]]'' {{small|B.Hyland}} - Queensland
*''[[Cryptocarya invasorium|C. invasorium]]''
*''[[Cryptocarya rigida]]'' {{small|Meisn.}} - Queensland, New South Wales
*''[[Cryptocarya laevigata|C. laevigata]]'' - glossy laurel (Australia)
*''[[Cryptocarya triplinervis]]'' {{small|R.Br.}} - Sulawesi, Queensland, New South Wales, Lord Howe Island
*''[[Cryptocarya leptospermoides|C. leptospermoides]]''
*''[[Cryptocarya vulgaris]]'' {{small|B.Hyland}} - Queensland
*''[[Cryptocarya mackinnoniana|C. mackinnoniana]]'' - rusty laurel (Australia)
*''[[Cryptocarya wightiana]]'' {{small|Thwaites}} - India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Andaman Islands
*''[[Cryptocarya massoy|C. massoy]]'' (Indonesia)
*''[[Cryptocarya williwilliana]]'' {{small|B.Hyland & Floyd}} - New South Wales
*''[[Cryptocarya meissneriana|C. meissneriana]]'' (Australia)
*''[[Cryptocarya woodii]]'' {{small|Engl.}} - South Africa, Mozambique
*''[[Cryptocarya membranaceae|C. membranaceae]]''
*''[[Cryptocarya micrantha|C. micrantha]]'' Meisn. (Brazil)
*''[[Cryptocarya microneura|C. microneura]]'' - murrogun (Australia)
*''[[Cryptocarya moschata|C. moschata]]'' Nees et Mart. ex Nees (Brazil)
*''[[Cryptocarya multipaniculata|C. multipaniculata]]''
*''[[Cryptocarya murrayi|C. murrayi]]'' - Murray’s laurel (Australia)
*''[[Cryptocarya natalensis|C. natalensis]]'' <nowiki>=</nowiki> ''[[Dahlgrenodendron natalense]]'' (South Africa)
*''[[Cryptocarya nigra|C. nigra]]'' (Indonesia)
*''[[Cryptocarya nitens|C. nitens]]'' (Indonesia)
*''[[Cryptocarya nova-anglica|C. nova-anglica]]'' - mountain laurel (Australia)
*''[[Cryptocarya oblata|C. oblata]]''
*''[[Cryptocarya obovata|C. obovata]]'' (Australia)
*''[[Cryptocarya obtusifolia|C. obtusifolia]]''
*''[[Cryptocarya odorata|C. odorata]]''
*''[[Cryptocarya onoprienkoana|C. onoprienkoana]]'' - rose maple (Queensland)
*''[[Cryptocarya palawanensis|C. palawanensis]]'' ([[Philippines]]) - endangered
*''[[Cryptocarya palmerstonii|C. palmerstonii]]'' syn. ''[[Endiandra palmerstonii]]'' - Queensland walnut (Queensland)
*''[[Cryptocarya pleurosperma|C. pleurosperma]]'' - poison walnut (Australia) - toxic and corrosive sap
*''[[Cryptocarya pluricostata|C. pluricostata]]''
*''[[Cryptocarya rigida|C. rigida]]'' - rose maple (Australia)
*''[[Cryptocarya scortechinii|C. scortechinii]]'' (Indonesia)
*''[[Cryptocarya transversa|C. transversa]]''
*''[[Cryptocarya tomentosa|C. tomentosa]]''
*''[[Cryptocarya triplinervis|C. triplinervis]]'' - brown laurel (Australia)
*''[[Cryptocarya vulgaris|C. vulgaris]]''
*''[[Cryptocarya wightiana|C. wightiana]]''
*''[[Cryptocarya williwilliana|C. williwilliana]]'' - small-leaved laurel (Australia)
*''[[Cryptocarya woodii|C. woodii]]''
{{div col end}}
{{div col end}}
{{Expand list|date=February 2011}}


==References==
==References==
{{Reflist|refs=
{{reflist}}
<ref name="POWO">{{cite web |url=https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:330812-2 |title=''Cryptocarya'' R.Br. |website=[[Plants of the World Online]] |publisher=[[Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew]] |year=2023 |access-date=18 October 2023}}</ref>
}}


==External links==
==External links==
{{Portal|Trees}}
* Pictures of [http://www.chilebosque.cl/tree/calba.html ''Cryptocarya alba'' or Peumo] in Chile.
* Pictures of [http://www.chilebosque.cl/tree/calba.html ''Cryptocarya alba'' or Peumo] in Chile.
*{{cite web |title=''Cryptocarya'' R.Br. |work=Atlas of Living Australia |url=https://bie.ala.org.au/species/http://id.biodiversity.org.au/node/apni/7479815}}
{{taxonbar}}

{{Taxonbar|from=Q3309395}}


[[Category:Cryptocarya| ]]
[[Category:Cryptocarya| ]]
[[Category:Laurales genera]]
[[Category:Lauraceae genera]]
[[Category:Taxa named by Robert Brown (botanist, born 1773)]]

Latest revision as of 12:27, 21 January 2024

Cryptocarya
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Magnoliids
Order: Laurales
Family: Lauraceae
Genus: Cryptocarya
R.Br.[1]
Species

over 350; see text

Synonyms[1]
  • Agathophyllum Juss.
  • Caryodaphne Blume ex Nees
  • Dahlgrenodendron J.J.M.van der Merwe & A.E.van Wyk
  • Evodia Gaertn.
  • Icosandra Phil.
  • Kerrdora Gagnep.
  • Massoia Becc.
  • Pseudocryptocarya Teschner
  • Ravensara Sonn.
  • Salgada Blanco
Peumo leaves
Cryptocarya macrocarpa - MHNT

Cryptocarya is a genus of evergreen trees belonging to the laurel family, Lauraceae. The genus includes more than 350 species, distributed through the Neotropical, Afrotropical, Indomalayan, and Australasian realms.

Overview[edit]

The genus includes species of evergreen trees, distributed mostly in tropical and subtropical regions of South America, India, China, Java, New Guinea, Africa, Madagascar, and Mauritius, with seven species in Southern Africa.

Common in the canopy, they grow up to 60 m, or as subcanopy trees in the succession climax species in tropical, lower temperate, or subtropical broadleaved forests. They are found in low-elevation evergreen forests and littoral rainforests, on all type of soils. The seeds are readily dispersed by fruit-eating birds, and seedlings and saplings have been recorded from other habitats where they are unlikely to develop to maturity.

The genus name Cryptocarya is from a Greek word krypto meaning to hide, karya meaning a walnut tree, the fruit of which was known as karyon, a word also used to describe other fruits. Sometimes, they are called mountain laurels or mountain walnuts. The fruit are succulent, partially immersed in a deep, thick cup.

The species forming this genus share a unique paniculate inflorescence with the ultimate divisions that are not quite cymose; that is, the lateral flowers of what looks like a cyme are not strictly opposite, but tend to be subopposite, while in most genera of Lauraceae with paniculate inflorescences the lateral flowers in a cyme are strictly opposite.

In a recent generic classification of Lauraceae based on DNA sequence,[2] Cryptocarya was found to be part of a strongly supported clade that also includes Beilschmiedia, Potameia, Endiandra and Aspidostemon.[3] In both Aspidostemon and Cryptocarya, the fruit are enclosed in the enlarged hypanthium, but this might be a parallel development and not a signal of common ancestry.

Ecology[edit]

The ecological requirements of the genus are those of the laurel forest, mostly from the tropics or warmer temperate areas, and like most of their counterparts laurifolia in the world, they are vigorous species with a great ability to populate conducive habitats. The natural habitat of most of species are in rainforest which are cloud-covered for much of the year. These species are found in forests that face threats of destruction by human deforestation. Some species are in danger of extinction due to loss of habitat.

Cryptocarya is a genus of great ecological importance. It is present in low rainforest and montane rainforest, laurel forest, in the weed-tree forests in valleys, and mixed forests of coniferous and deciduous broad-leaved trees.

The differences are ecological adaptations to different environments over a relatively dry-wet and a warmer to mild frost (-2 °C) in temperate climate growing in cooler regions, subject to frost and occasional snow. The Chilean Cryptocarya alba and the Australian C. erythroxylon and C. foveolata of the mountains of New South Wales are outstanding for their frost tolerance within a genus having its majority of species growing in tropical climates. Species in less-humid environments are smaller or less robust, with less abundant and thinner foliage and have oleifera cells that give trees a more fragrant aroma.

The fruit, a drupe, is an important food source for birds, usually from specialized genera. Birds eat the whole fruit and regurgitate seeds intact, expanding the seeds in the best conditions for germination (ornithochory). In some species, seed dispersal is carried out by mammals.

Human use[edit]

The most known trees are used by the timber industry. In this genus, the wood of some species has high commercial value.

C. alba, the peumo, the most common evergreen tree in the Chilean Matorral ecoregion of central Chile, produces edible reddish fruits and is the most known species in the Southern Hemisphere.[citation needed] C. massoy is used commercially to produce essential oils.[citation needed] C. woodii leaves have been found in prehistoric settlements in Africa and are believed to have been used for insect control.[4]

Essential oil is commercially harvested from Cryptocarya agathophylla (formerly Ravensara aromatica), a tree native to the lowland rainforests of eastern Madagascar. Known as Ravensara oil, it is used for aromatherapy in Europe and America.[5]

Some Cryptocarya species[edit]

The following is a list of Cryptocarya species with articles on this wiki. For the full list of all 362 accepted species see the page List of Cryptocarya species.

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Cryptocarya R.Br". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 2023. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
  2. ^ dataChanderbali et al. in 2001
  3. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-08-08. Retrieved 2011-11-06.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  4. ^ Wadley L, Sievers C, Bamford M, Goldberg P, Berna F, Miller C (2011). "Middle Stone Age bedding construction and settlement patterns at Sibudu, South Africa". Science. 334 (6061): 1388–91. Bibcode:2011Sci...334.1388W. doi:10.1126/science.1213317. PMID 22158814. S2CID 11063722.
  5. ^ Hanitriniaina Sahondra Andrianoelisoa, Chantal Menut, Panja Ramanoelina, Falihery Raobelison, Philippe Collas de Chatelperron, & Pascal Danthu (2010). "Chemical Composition of Essential Oils From Bark and Leaves of Individual Trees of Ravensara aromatica Sonnerat", Journal of Essential Oil Research, 22:1, 66-70, DOI: 10.1080/10412905.2010.9700267

External links[edit]

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