Genus Protium (Noun)
Meaning
Genus of chiefly tropical American trees having fragrant wood and yielding gum elemi.
Classification
Nouns denoting plants.
Examples
- Genus Protium is a large genus of trees in the family Burseraceae, with species native to tropical America.
- The genus Protium yields a variety of valuable products, including elemi, a fragrant resin used in perfumes and medicines.
- Some species of the genus Protium, like Protium heptaphyllum, are used for their timber due to the hardwood's fine grain and fragrant aroma.
- Taxonomists have long been fascinated by the diversity and complexity of the genus Protium, with over 150 species described.
- Botanists often seek out members of the genus Protium during fieldwork in the tropical rainforests of Central and South America.