Pitraea is a monotypic genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Verbenaceae.[1] It only contains one known species, Pitraea cuneato-ovata (Cav.) Caro
Its native range is southern South America. It is found in (north-eastern and north-western) Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, (central and northern) Chile and Peru.
The genus name of Pitraea is in honour of Adolf Samoilovich Pitra (1830–1889), a Russian professor of botany in Kharkiv.[2] The genus has 2 known synonyms; Castelia and Phelloderma .[1] The Latin specific epithet of cuneato-ovata is derived from cuneate meaning wedge-shaped and ovate from ovum meaning.[3] The genus was first described and published in Bull. Soc. Imp. Naturalistes Moscou Vol.35 (II) on page 328 in 1862.[1] Then the species was published in Kurtziana Vol.1 on page 274 in 1961.