Pradosia is a genus of flowering trees in the family Sapotaceae, the sapodilla family, placed in the order Ericales. The genus was described in 1872 by the French botanist Emmanuel Liais. Approximately 26 species are currently accepted, making it a moderately sized genus within Sapotaceae.
The genus is predominantly Neotropical in distribution. The great majority of species are native to Central and South America, with the centre of diversity in Amazonian Brazil and the Guiana Shield. The range extends west into Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, and Peru, north into Costa Rica and Trinidad, and south into Paraguay. A small number of species — notably Pradosia spinosa — are found in tropical Africa (Cameroon, Republic of the Congo, Gabon, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo), giving the genus a disjunct intercontinental distribution pattern shared by several other Sapotaceae genera.
As members of Sapotaceae, species of Pradosia are typically trees with milky latex and simple, alternately arranged leaves. The family as a whole is characterised by bisexual flowers and fleshy, often edible fruits. Within the genus, species occupy lowland tropical rainforest and Atlantic Forest habitats.
Several species have restricted ranges: Pradosia glaziovii and Pradosia mutisii are flagged as possibly threatened or extinct. Pradosia lactescens (formerly known as Mimusops lactescens) is among the more widespread Brazilian species.
Distribution
Pradosia is centred in Amazonian South America, with most species occurring in Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela, the Guianas, and adjacent countries. The range extends north to Costa Rica and Trinidad and south to Paraguay. One species, Pradosia spinosa, occurs disjunctly in Central Africa (Cameroon, Gabon, and the Congo Basin).
Taxonomy Notes
The genus was established by Emmanuel Liais in 1872 (published in Bres.: 614). It belongs to the family Sapotaceae, order Ericales. The authorship is cited as Pradosia Liais. GBIF records 34 infrageneric taxa in the backbone; Wikipedia lists 26 accepted species. Several species formerly described under other genera (e.g., Mimusops, Sideroxylon) have been transferred to Pradosia by T.D. Penn. (Timothy Pennington), reflecting mid-20th-century monographic revisions of Sapotaceae.
