The distribution ranges from the Florida Keys and southern Mexico to southernmost Brazil, and from near sea level to at least 3500 m altitude in the northern Andes.

Species of Clusia are a characteristic component of a number of Neotropical vegetation types, and may even be dominant, as is often seen in montane forests of the Greater Antilles.

Most species are found in lowland or montane rainforests, but some occur in drier habitats such as the restingas of Brazil, Caribbean coastal scrub and dry inter-Andean valleys.

Some species start life as epiphytes which grow long roots that descend to the ground and eventually strangle and kill the host tree in a manner similar to strangler figs.

Many Clusia species have Crassulacean acid metabolism, which can be considered an adaptation to the often dry (micro)habitats of the genus.

The fruit is a leathery valvate capsule which splits open to release several red or orange, fleshy-coated seeds.

Nectar is most common in montane species, e.g. Clusia clusioides, and these flowers are visited by insects such as moths and wasps, and sometimes by bats or hummingbirds.

[1] Selected species include: Correia MCR, Ormond WT, Pinheiro MCB, Lima HA (1993) Estudos da biologia floral de Clusia criuva Camb.

Bradea 24:209–219 Gustafsson, M. H. G. and V. Bittrich (2003) Evolution of morphological diversity and resin secretion in flowers of Clusia L. (Clusiaceae): insights from ITS sequence variation.

Bittrich, V and M. C. E. Amaral (1996)Flower Morphology and Pollination Biology of Some Clusia Species from the Gran Sabana (Venezuela) Kew Bulletin 51: 681-694.