This represents the first comparative study of the leaf anatomy within the subtribe Mauritiinae (Arecaceae) and includes all three genera and most of the recognized species. The leaf blade anatomy clearly defines these neotropical palms and allows the identification of two groups: Lepidocaryum can be separated by its homogeneous mesophyll, while the group formed by Mauritia y Mauritiella has the shared presence of a diferentiated mesophyll into palisade and spongy parenchyma. Our study supports the topologies of the most recent molecular phylogenies that include these three genera; however we did not identify characters that are sufficiently variable for species identification.