Because of the lack of worldwide knowledge about the family in general, little is known about their diversity yet. The knowledge of this family to national level, is that to be expected in countries with limited economic means with the vast majority of species indeterminate or even poorly determined. Recently described new species come from collections made in countries with limited economic means. Therefore, an increase in the study of family, at national level, is of utmost importance for the progress of the systematics of the family in general. Trees of the family Hernandiaceae predominate in the world's laurel forests and cloud forests, which occur in tropical, subtropical, and mild temperate regions of the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, highlighting the African, Indian, and Pacific Ocean islands, New Caledonia, Madagascar, and central Chile.