Pharmacosycea is one of six subgenera currently recognised in the genus Ficus. It was proposed by E. J. H. Corner in 1967 to unite section Pharmacosycea with Oreosycea.

Recent molecular phylogenies has shown that the subgenus is polyphyletic. Section Pharmacosycea is a sister taxa to the rest of the genus Ficus, while section Oreosycea is itself polyphyletic.

Section Oreosycea Section Oreosycea is Palaeotropical in distribution.Corner EJH (1965) Checklist of Ficus in Asia and Australasia with keys to identification. The Gardens’ Bulletin Singapore 21: 1-186.Berg CC, Corner EJH (2005) Moraceae - Ficus. Flora Malesiana Series I (Seed Plants) Volume 17/Part 2. National Herbarium of the Netherlands, Leiden.

Subsection Glandulosae includes (not complete) Ficus asperula Bureau Ficus auriculigera Bureau Ficus austrocaledonica Bureau Ficus barraui Guillaumin Ficus bubulia C.C. Berg Ficus carinata C.C. Berg Ficus cataractorum Bureau Ficus crescentioides Bureau Ficus dzumacensis Guillaumin Ficus edelfeltii King Ficus mutabilis Bureau Ficus nervosa Heyne ex Roth

Subsection Pedunculatae includes Ficus albipila (Miquel) King - Abbey tree Ficus bataanensis Merrill Ficus callosa Willdenow Ficus capillipes Gagnepain Ficus vasculosa Miquel

Section Pharmacosycea Section Pharmacosycea is Neotropical. Cornelis Berg recognised two subsections: Bergianae and Petenenses.

Subsection Bergianae includes Ficus adhatodifolia Schott Ficus carchiana C.C. Berg Ficus crassiuscula Standl. Ficus gigantosyce Dugand Ficus insipida Willd. (subsp. insipida and subsp. scabra C.C. Berg) Ficus lapathifolia (Liebm.) Miq. Ficus mutisii Dugand, Ficus oapana C.C. Berg Ficus obtusiuscula (Miq.) Miq. Ficus piresiana Vázq.Avila & C.C. Berg Ficus rieberiana C.C. Berg Ficus yoponensis Desv.

Subsection Petenenses includes Ficus apollinaris Dugand (= F. petenensis Lundell) Ficus ecuadorensis C.C. Berg Ficus guajavoides Lundell, Ficus lacunata Kvitvik Ficus loxensis C.C. Berg Ficus macbridei Standl., Ficus maxima Mill. Ficus maximoides C.C. Berg Ficus pulchella Schott Ficus tonduzii Standl.

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