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The Clusiaceae or Guttiferae Juss. (1789) ( nom. alt. et cons. = alternative and valid name) are a family of including 13 genera and ca 750 species. Several former members of Clusiaceae are now placed in Calophyllaceae and Hypericaceae. They are mostly and , with milky sap and fruits or capsules for . The family is primarily tropical. More so than many plant families, it shows large variation in plant morphology (for example, three to 10 petals, which may be fused or unfused, and many other variable traits). According to the APG III, this family belongs to the order Malpighiales.
One feature sometimes found in this family, and rarely in others (e.g., Malpighiaceae), is providing with "pollination rewards" other than pollen or nectar; specifically, some species offer resin, which certain use in nest construction (each Clusiaceae species offers only one type of reward).
Later classifications, however, divide the family in a finer way. Molecular studies have shown that the family Podostemaceae—the riverweeds—as well as the Bonnetiaceae are nested in this group. Their inclusions make the Clusiaceae in a wide sense polyphyletic, and Stevens's subfamilies need to be recognised at family level: Clusioideae as Clusiaceae sensu stricto; Hypericoideae as Hypericaceae; and Kielmeyeroideae as Calophyllaceae.Stevens, P. F. (1980). A revision of the Old World species of Calophyllum (Guttiferae). J. Arnold Arboretum 61:117–699.APG III (2009)
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