Trevoa is a genus

Genus

In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...

 of actinorhizal plants; these dicotyledon

Dicotyledon

The dicotyledons, also known as dicots, are a group of flowering plants whose seed typically has two embryonic leaves or cotyledons. There are around 199,350 species within this group...

 flora are trees or small shrubs. The genus was first proposed by Miers in 1825, but was not fully described until 1830 by Sir William Jackson Hooker

William Jackson Hooker

Sir William Jackson Hooker, FRS was an English systematic botanist and organiser. He held the post of Regius Professor of Botany at Glasgow University, and was the first Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. He enjoyed the friendship and support of Sir Joseph Banks for his exploring,...

. Genus members are notable for their ability to fix nitrogen

Nitrogen

Nitrogen is a chemical element that has the symbol N, atomic number of 7 and atomic mass 14.00674 u. Elemental nitrogen is a colorless, odorless, tasteless, and mostly inert diatomic gas at standard conditions, constituting 78.08% by volume of Earth's atmosphere...

. Species of this genus are generally found in the near coastal forests and arid shrubland

Shrubland

Shrubland, scrubland, scrub or brush is a plant community characterized by vegetation dominated by shrubs, often also including grasses, herbs, and geophytes. Shrubland may either occur naturally or be the result of human activity...

 of South America

South America

South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...

. Some species are localized in the mountains of central Chile

Chile

Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...

; for example, the species Trevoa trinervis

Trevoa trinervis

Trevoa trinervis is a species of actinorhizal plant within the family Rhamnaceae; this dicotyledon flora is a shrub or small tree. The genus was first proposed by Miers in 1825, but was not fully described until 1830 by Sir William Jackson Hooker. T. trinervis is notable for its ability to fix...

occurs in the La Campana National Park

La Campana National Park

La Campana National Park is located in the Cordillera de la Costa, Quillota Province, in the Valparaíso Region of Chile. La Campana National Park and the Vizcachas Mountains lie northwest of Santiago...

 and other proximate areas of central Chile.

Along with some related plants in the family Rhamnaceae

Rhamnaceae

Rhamnaceae, the Buckthorn family, is a large family of flowering plants, mostly trees, shrubs and some vines.The family contains 50-60 genera and approximately 870-900 species. The Rhamnaceae have a worldwide distribution, but are more common in the subtropical and tropical regions...

, they fix nitrogen

Nitrogen fixation

Nitrogen fixation is the natural process, either biological or abiotic, by which nitrogen in the atmosphere is converted into ammonia . This process is essential for life because fixed nitrogen is required to biosynthesize the basic building blocks of life, e.g., nucleotides for DNA and RNA and...

 via
root nodule

Root nodule

Root nodules occur on the roots of plants that associate with symbiotic nitrogen-fixing bacteria. Under nitrogen-limiting conditions, capable plants form a symbiotic relationship with a host-specific strain of bacteria known as rhizobia...

s which contain Frankia

Frankia

Frankia is a genus of nitrogen fixing, filamentous bacteria that live in symbiosis with actinorhizal plants, similar to the Rhizobia bacteria that are found in the root nodules of legumes in the Fabaceae family. Bacteria of this genus also form root nodules.The genus Frankia was originally named by...

bacteria. Other nitrogen-fixing genera in this family include Ceanothus

Ceanothus

Ceanothus L. is a genus of about 50–60 species of shrubs or small trees in the buckthorn family Rhamnaceae. The genus is confined to North America, the center of its distribution in California, with some species in the eastern United States and southeast Canada, and others extending as far south...

, Colletia

Colletia

Colletia is a genus of flowering plants in the family Rhamnaceae, with 15 to 17 species of spiny shrubs. All species of this genus are native to southern South America. They are non-legume nitrogen fixers.-Selected species:*Colletia armata...

, Discaria

Discaria

Discaria is a genus of about 12 species of flowering plants in the family Rhamnaceae, native to temperate regions of the Southern Hemisphere, in Australia, New Zealand and South America....

, Kentrothamnus and Retanilla.

Species

The botanist Karl Friedrich Reiche, publishing in the years 1894–1911, recognized 6 species.

A partial list of species is:

• Trevoa quinquenervia, sometimes classified as Talguenea quinquenervia
• Trevoa trinervis
  Trevoa trinervis
  Trevoa trinervis is a species of actinorhizal plant within the family Rhamnaceae; this dicotyledon flora is a shrub or small tree. The genus was first proposed by Miers in 1825, but was not fully described until 1830 by Sir William Jackson Hooker. T. trinervis is notable for its ability to fix...