Introduction 
The Lauraceae, one of eight families in the order Laurales of the Magnoliidae (sensu 
Cronquist, 1988), comprises around 2000-2500 species in about 50 genera distributed mainly in 
tropical and subtropical regions of the world (Cronquist, 1981; Rohwer, 1993a). Several species 
of this family are important constituents of the tall and diverse tropical forests worldwide. 
Sometimes they are so abundant as to give specific names to the forest, for example, the "Bosque 
de lauraceas" in the eastern slope of the Sierra Madre Oriental in Mexico (Sarukhan, 1968). They 
play also an important role as one of the main food sources for several species of birds in tropical 
forests (Wheelwright, 1983, 1986; Wheelwright et al., 1984). Furthermore, some species of 
Lauraceae are sources of commercial timber, fruits, chemical compounds and spices 
(Kostermans, 1957; Gottlieb, 1972; Record & Hess, 1942; Stern, 1954). Examples include 
ironwood, avocado, camphor and cinnamon, all widely used today. 
The family has a long and well documented history in the botanical literature 
(Kostermans, 1952). However, despite the work done to date, the taxonomy of the Lauraceae is 
still, in several cases, not sufficiently clear in terms of the circumscription of taxa at the genus or 
species level. As a result, the reputation of the family as being taxonomically difficult is still 
valid (Burger, 1988; Rohwer et al., 1991). One of the cornerstones in the study of the Lauraceae 
is the work of Meissner (1864), the last botanist who revised the entire family and established the 
basis for its classification. More recently, Kostermans (1957, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1986, 1988) had 
undertaken the job of revising the classification of the Lauraceae. He reassessed the importance 
of characters to distinguish subordinate taxa within the family, proposed a new classification 
scheme, and at the same time started monographic work in several genera. 
