What is "lecythis"

Lecythis \Lec"y*this\ (l[e^]s"[i^]*th[i^]s), n. [NL., fr. Gr. 3 an oil flask.] (Bot.) A genus of gigantic trees, chiefly Brazilian, of the order Myrtace[ae], having woody capsules opening by an apical lid. Lecythis Zabucajo yields the delicious sapucaia nuts. Lecythis Ollaria produces the monkey-pots, its capsules. Its bark separates into thin sheets, like paper, used by the natives for cigarette wrappers.

Lecythis is a genus of woody plant in the Lecythidaceae family first described as a genus in 1758. It is native to Central America and South America.