
Baboonwood
Virola surinamensis
Virola surinamensis, known commonly as baboonwood, ucuuba, ucuhuba and chalviande, is a species of flowering plant in the family Myristicaceae. It is found in Brazil, Costa Rica, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Panama, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons (CC) via https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virola_surinamensis
Taxonomy & Classification
Kingdom
Plantae
Phylum
Tracheophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Order
Magnoliales
Family
Myristicaceae
Genus
Virola
Baboonwood belongs to the family Myristicaceae, order Magnoliales, within the Magnoliopsida class.
Species Profile
Virola surinamensis, known commonly as baboonwood, ucuuba, ucuhuba and chalviande, is a species of flowering plant in the family Myristicaceae. It is found in Brazil, Costa Rica, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Panama, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela. It has also been naturalized in the Caribbean. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, subtropical or tropical swamps, and heavily degraded former forest. Although the species is listed as threatened due to habitat loss by the IUCN, it is a common tree species found throughout Central and South America.
Baboonwood (Virola surinamensis) faces severe population decline primarily due to extensive deforestation and habitat fragmentation across its Amazonian and Guianan range. Commercial logging operations specifically target this valuable timber species for its high-quality wood used in construction and furniture making. Agricultural expansion, particularly cattle ranching and soy cultivation, continues to convert remaining forest habitats into farmland.
Key Facts
Threats
IUCN Red List: Endangered
Baboonwood (Virola surinamensis) faces severe population decline primarily due to extensive deforestation and habitat fragmentation across its Amazonian and Guianan range. Commercial logging operations specifically target this valuable timber species for its high-quality wood used in construction and furniture making. Agricultural expansion, particularly cattle ranching and soy cultivation, continues to convert remaining forest habitats into farmland.
Agricultural expansion and land conversion
Commercial logging and timber extraction
Deforestation for cattle ranching
Habitat fragmentation
Infrastructure development and road construction
Community Sightings
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Sources & Attribution
How to Cite
IUCN: IUCN (2025). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2025-1. Available at: https://www.iucnredlist.org. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2025-1.RLTS
GBIF: GBIF.org (2025). GBIF Home Page. Available at: https://www.gbif.org
This page: SpeciesRadar (2025). Baboonwood (Virola surinamensis). SpeciesRadar: Intelligence for Earth's Biodiversity. Available at: https://speciesradar.org/species/baboonwood