Bocoa is a genus of flowering plant

Flowering plant

The flowering plants , also known as Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta, are the most diverse group of land plants. Angiosperms are seed-producing plants like the gymnosperms and can be distinguished from the gymnosperms by a series of synapomorphies...

s in the legume family, Fabaceae

Fabaceae

The Fabaceae or Leguminosae, commonly known as the legume, pea, or bean family, is a large and economically important family of flowering plants. The group is the third largest land plant family, behind only the Orchidaceae and Asteraceae, with 730 genera and over 19,400 species...

 (Leguminosae). It belongs to the sub family Faboideae

Faboideae

Faboideae is a subfamily of the flowering plant family Fabaceae or Leguminosae. One acceptable alternative name for the subfamily is Papilionoideae....

(Papilionoideae). The genus is currently described as having four species;

1. Bocoa prouacensis
2. Bocoa viridiflora
3. Bocoa ratteri
4. Bocoa marionii

The genus is largely limited to the Guiana Shield and Brazil. Bocoa proucensis is the type species for this genus. It's name is derived from Boco d'Aprouak where Aprouac refers to the Approuague river in Guyane (French Guiana). It is predominantly found in Guyane but is also substantially present in Suriname. Timber from this species is one of the hardest and densest in the world. B. viridiflora is the largest tree in the genus, reaching 30 m. in height, and is the most widely distributed. Specimens sources for B. ratteri are limited Maranhão, Brazil. The newest member of Bocoa to be described is B. marionii. It was found in the Upper Essequibo region of Guyana and is most morphologically similar to B. prouacensis.