Ocotea Aubl.

Werff, Henk van der, 2017, The genera of Lauraceae in Madagascar with nomenclatural novelties in Cryptocarya, Candollea 72 (2), pp. 323-328 : 327

Ocotea Aubl.

Typus: Ocotea guianensis Aubl.

Diagnostic characters. – Flowers with 9 four-locular stamens and fruit seated in a shallow or deep cupule.

Distribution. – Mostly neotropical, but with a smaller number of species in Madagascar and Africa.

Number of species in Madagascar. – 35 (all endemic)

Recent literature. – VAN DER WERFF (2013b).

Notes. – Ocotea is easily recognized in Madagascar. It is the only genus which has flowers with quadrilocular stamens and fruits seated in a cupule. Some of its species have domatia, tufts of hairs or pits in the axils of some of the secondary veins. Domatia do not occur in species of the other genera in Madagascar and sterile specimens with domatia can be assigned with confidence to Ocotea . Most species have alternate leaves, but a few have opposite or subopposite leaves.