Leptobalanus (Benth.) Sothers & Prance, Kew Bull.

Barros, Natália, Menezes, Luis Fernando Tavares de, Sothers, Cynthia & Peixoto, Ariane Luna, 2025, Flora of Espírito Santo: Chrysobalanaceae, Rodriguesia (e 00872024) 76, pp. 1-39 : 23

6. Leptobalanus (Benth.) Sothers & Prance, Kew Bull. 71(4)-58: 21. 2016.

Shrubs or trees. Leaf lower surface glabrous, tomentose or lanate, stomatal crypts present or absent. Inflorescence panicle, racemose panicle or panicle of cymes. Bracteoles small. Sepals 5. Petals absent.Stamens (7–)8–10(12–22), filaments usually far exceeding calyx lobes, in a complete circle; filaments free or less often slightly connate at base, glabrous. Ovary villous or bearing some form of pilosity, rarely entirely glabrous; inserted at base of receptacle. Fruit globose to ellipsoid; epicarp smooth, lenticellate or pubescent; endocarp pubescent or rarely glabrous ( Sothers et al. 2016).

With 31 species, Leptobalanus is distributed from Mexico to Brazil ( Prance & Sothers 2003b). In Brazil the genus has 15 species, present in the Amazonian domain, Atlantic Forest and Cerrado ( Sothers & Prance 2023e) . In EspÍrito Santo it is represented by two species, Leptobalanus octandrus (Hoffmanns. ex Schult. & Roem.) Sothers & Prance subsp. octandrus and Leptobalanus turbinatus (Benth.) Sothers & Prance.