金壳果科共包括17属约400种，主要分布在热带和亚热带地区，有乔木也有灌木，大部分为常绿树种。也被称为可可李科、可可梅科、金丸李科或金巴兰科。

1981年的克朗奎斯特分类法将其列入蔷薇目，1998年根据基因亲缘关系分类的APG 分类法将起列入新设立的金虎尾目，2003年经过修订的APG II 分类法认为这给科可以选择和大戟科、毒鼠子科、三角果科等合并。

Chrysobalanaceae is a family of flowering plants, consisting of trees and shrubs in 17 genera and about 460 species of pantropical distribution with a centre of diversity in the Amazon. Some of the species contain silica in their bodies for rigidity and so the mesophyll often has sclerenchymatous idioblasts. The widespread species Chrysobalanus icaco produces a plum-like fruit and the plant is commonly known as the coco plum.