Pimenta (genus)

For other uses, see Pimenta (disambiguation).

Pimenta
Pimenta dioica flowers
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Myrtales
Family: Myrtaceae
Subfamily: Myrtoideae
Tribe: Myrteae
Genus: Pimenta
Lindl.[1]
Synonyms[2][1]
  • Amomis O.Berg
  • Cryptorhiza Urb.
  • Evanesca Raf.
  • Krokia Urb.
  • Mentodendron Lundell
  • Myrtekmania Urb.
  • Pimentus Raf.
  • Pseudocaryophyllus O.Berg

Pimenta is a genus of flowering plants in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae described as a genus in 1821.[3][4] It is native to Central and South America, Mexico, and the West Indies.[2]

Well-known species include allspice (P. dioica) and the West Indian bay tree (P. racemosa). The name is mostly probably derived from the Portuguese word "pimenta", with the same meaning of the Spanish word pimienta, meaning "peppercorn." It refers to the berries of P. dioica.[5]

Species[2][6][7]
  1. Pimenta adenoclada (Urb.) Burret (Cuba)
  2. Pimenta berciliae Vasconcelos, Lucas & Peguero (Dominican Republic)
  3. Pimenta cainitoides (Urb.) Burret (Cuba, Dominican Rep)
  4. Pimenta dioica (L.) Merr. – allspice (Southern Mexico, Central America, Greater Antilles, Cayman Is, Bahamas)
  5. Pimenta ferruginea (Griseb.) Burret (Cuba)
  6. Pimenta filipes (Urb.) Burret (Cuba)
  7. Pimenta guatemalensis (Lundell) Lundell - Guatemala, Costa Rica, Panama
  8. Pimenta haitiensis (Urb.) Landrum (Haiti, Dominican Republic)
  9. Pimenta intermedia (Bisse) Urquiola (Cuba) [8]
  10. Pimenta jamaicensis (Britton & Harris) Proctor (Jamaica)
  11. Pimenta obscura Proctor (Jamaica)
  12. Pimenta odiolens (Urb.) Burret (Cuba)
  13. Pimenta oligantha (Urb.) Burret (Cuba)
  14. Pimenta podocarpoides (F.Areces) Landrum (Cuba)
  15. Pimenta pseudocaryophyllus - Brazil, Bolivia
  16. Pimenta racemosa (Mill.) J.W.Moore – West Indian bay tree (the Caribbean) - Cayman Is, Cuba, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, Lesser Antilles, Trinidad, Venezuela
  17. Pimenta samanensis Alain (Dominican Republic)(formerly assigned to Eugenia)
  18. Pimenta richardii Proctor (Jamaica)
  19. Pimenta yumana Alain (Dominican Republic)(formerly assigned to Eugenia)
  1. ^ a b "Genus: Pimenta Lindl". Germplasm Resources Information Network. United States Department of Agriculture. 2009-01-27. Retrieved 2012-01-27.
  2. ^ a b c Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
  3. ^ Lindley, John. 1821. Collectanea Botanica 4: sub t. 19
  4. ^ Tropicos, Pimenta Lindl.
  5. ^ Weiss, E. A (2002). Spice Crops. CABI. p. 122. ISBN 978-0-85199-605-9.
  6. ^ "GRIN Species Records of Pimenta". Germplasm Resources Information Network. United States Department of Agriculture. Archived from the original on 2015-09-24. Retrieved 2012-01-27.
  7. ^ "The All-spice Genus Pimenta (Myrtaceae) from Hispaniola One New Species, Pimenta berciliae, Two New Combinations and Taxonomic Notes". 24 April 2018. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
  8. ^ WCSP Pimenta intermedia (Bisse) Urquiola, Bissea 2(Núm. Espec.): 63 (2008)