Hypodaphnis is a monotypic genus of flowering plants belonging to the Lauraceae family. Its only extant species, Hypodaphnis zenkeri, is native to Gabon.Although only one living species is known, fossils of some species of this genus are present in North America, especially in Northern Mexico. In most phylogenetic analysis, Hypodaphnis appears as the basal branch, the sister group of the rest of the Lauraceae family.