Copaifera officinalis | |
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Botanical illustration | |
Copaifera officinalis oleoresin | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Rosids |
Order: | Fabales |
Family: | Fabaceae |
Genus: | Copaifera |
Species: | C. officinalis
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Binomial name | |
Copaifera officinalis | |
Synonyms[1] | |
List
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Copaifera officinalis, the copaiba balsam, is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae, native to Bolivia, Brazil, and Venezuela.[2][1] It has been introduced to Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Trinidad and Tobago, Sierra Leone, India, and Sri Lanka.[1] Like other members of its genus, its trunks are tapped for its oleoresin, sometimes termed balsam of copaiba or, when refined, copaiba oil, which has industrial, artisanal, and medicinal purposes.[2] Its oleoresin exhibits better bactericidal activity against common pathogens than that of Copaifera langsdorffii.[3]