Pharmacosycea is one of six subgenera

Subgenus

In biology, a subgenus is a taxonomic rank directly below genus.In zoology, a subgeneric name can be used independently or included in a species name, in parentheses, placed between the generic name and the specific epithet: e.g. the Tiger Cowry of the Indo-Pacific, Cypraea tigris Linnaeus, which...

 currently recognised in the genus Ficus

Ficus

Ficus is a genus of about 850 species of woody trees, shrubs, vines, epiphytes, and hemiepiphyte in the family Moraceae. Collectively known as fig trees or figs, they are native throughout the tropics with a few species extending into the semi-warm temperate zone. The Common Fig Ficus is a genus of...

. It was proposed by E. J. H. Corner

E. J. H. Corner

Edred John Henry Corner FRS was a botanist who occupied the posts of assistant director at the Singapore Botanic Gardens and Professor of Tropical Botany at the University of Cambridge...

 in 1967 to unite section Pharmacosycea with Oreosycea.

Recent molecular phylogenies

Phylogenetics

In biology, phylogenetics is the study of evolutionary relatedness among groups of organisms , which is discovered through molecular sequencing data and morphological data matrices...

 has shown that the subgenus is polyphyletic. Section Pharmacosycea is a sister taxa to the rest of the genus Ficus, while section Oreosycea is itself polyphyletic.

Section Pharmacosycea

Section Pharmacosycea is Neotropical. Cornelis Berg recognised two subsections: Bergianae and Petenenses.

Subsection Bergianae includes:

• Ficus adhatodifolia Schott
• Ficus carchiana C.C. Berg
• Ficus crassiuscula Standl.
• Ficus gigantosyce Dugand
• Ficus insipida
  Ficus insipida
  Ficus insipida is a tropical tree in the fig genus of the family Moraceae. It ranges from Mexico to South America, and is commonly found in cloud forest above 1,550 meters ASL.-Description and ecology:...
  
  Willd. (subsp. insipida and subsp. scabra C.C. Berg)
• Ficus lapathifolia
  Ficus lapathifolia
  Ficus lapathifolia is a species of plant in the Moraceae family. It is endemic to Mexico.-Source:* World Conservation Monitoring Centre 1998. . Downloaded on 21 August 2007....
  
  (Liebm.) Miq.
• Ficus mutisii Dugand,
• Ficus oapana C.C. Berg
• Ficus obtusiuscula (Miq.) Miq.
• Ficus piresiana Vázq.Avila & C.C. Berg
• Ficus rieberiana C.C. Berg
• Ficus yoponensis
  Ficus yoponensis
  Ficus yoponensis is a species of fig tree found in Central and South America. It can grow to heights of tall, having a trunk diameter of . The trunk is buttressed, light grey in colour and reasonably smooth. Its petioles are long, the stipules are straight and long. The leaves and stems are...
  
  Desv.

Subsection Petenenses includes:

• Ficus apollinaris Dugand (= F. petenensis Lundell)
• Ficus ecuadorensis C.C. Berg
• Ficus guajavoides Lundell,
• Ficus lacunata
  Ficus lacunata
  Ficus lacunata is a species of plant in the Moraceae family which is endemic to Ecuador. F. lacunata is a free-standing tree which grows up to 25 m tall in wet forests in the Andes....
  
  Kvitvik
• Ficus loxensis C.C. Berg
• Ficus macbridei Standl.,
• Ficus maxima
  Ficus maxima
  Ficus maxima is a fig tree which is native to Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean and South America south to Paraguay. Figs belong to the Moraceae family...
  
  Mill.
• Ficus maximoides C.C. Berg
• Ficus pulchella
  Ficus pulchella
  Ficus pulchella is a species of plant in the Moraceae family. It is endemic to Brazil. It is threatened by habitat loss.-Source:* Carauta, J.P.P. 1998. . Downloaded on 21 August 2007....
  
  Schott
• Ficus tonduzii Standl.