Taxonomic History of the Lecythidaceae

• Title

  Taxonomic History of the Lecythidaceae

• Description

  The first known description and illustration of a member of the Lecythidaceae were made by Frei Christovão, a Portuguese Franciscan missionary, who lived in Maranhâo, Brazil from 1624 to 1635. His , not published until 1667 and then in manuscript facsimile accompanied by a modern translation, includes a description and illustration of , which without doubt refers to , as well as of , which may be the first reference and illustration of the brazil nut, . Frei Christovão's work is poorly known to systematists outside of Brazil but recently has been discussed in detail by Whitehead (1973).