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Diversity of Neotropical Sapotaceae

Manilkara zapota, formerly tapped for its latex (chicle), in Belize.

The focus of this project is the production of a series of monographic studies of Sapotaceae, documenting the diversity of the family in the Neotropics.  The Sapotaceae comprise some 400 species of forest trees with centres of diversity in the Guiana Shield and eastern flanks of the Andes. They form a major floristic and structural component of Amazonian rain forest. They are characterized by heavy hard resistant timbers used in construction and parquet. Outputs include species accounts for local floras in Latin America, including the Guianas, Ecuador, Central America.  Accounts for Central French Guiana, Central Amazonia and Venezuelan Guiana are already published.  DNA studies are under way to reconstruct hypothetical phylogenies.  The project began in 1980 and is due to run until 2008.

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