Oreomunnea is a small genus of two species of large flowering trees in the walnut family Juglandaceae, placed in the order Fagales. The genus is native to southern Mexico and Central America, where both species inhabit montane rainforest (cloud forest).
Trees in this genus reach up to 35 metres in height. Their leaves are pinnate, bearing four to eight leaflets, and are arranged in opposite pairs along the branches — an unusual trait within the Juglandaceae, where alternate leaf arrangement is the norm. The fruit is a small nut roughly 1 centimetre in diameter, equipped with a distinctive three-lobed wing that aids wind dispersal.
The genus comprises just two species: Oreomunnea mexicana (Standl.) J.-F.Leroy and Oreomunnea pterocarpa Oerst., both restricted to middle-elevation forests in Mesoamerica.
Distribution
Oreomunnea is native to southern Mexico and Central America, where both species grow in montane rainforest (cloud forest) habitats at middle elevations.
Taxonomy Notes
Oreomunnea belongs to the family Juglandaceae (walnut family), order Fagales. It is notable within the family for its opposite leaf arrangement, which contrasts with the alternate leaves typical of most Juglandaceae genera. The genus contains exactly two accepted species.
