**Picante** is a comprehensive software package designed for analyzing the phylogenetic and trait diversity of ecological communities. It is written in R and C, released under a GPL v2 open-source license, and freely available on the web and from CRAN. The package addresses two key barriers in ecophylogenetic research: the lack of open-source software and the need for multiple software packages with different learning curves and data formatting requirements. Picante includes functions for data manipulation, visualization, phylogenetic diversity metrics, trait comparative analyses, and tests for phylogenetic signal in trait distributions, community structure, and species interactions. It supports various methods for quantifying phylogenetic α- and β-diversity, environmental correlates of phylogenetic community structure, and phylogenetic signal in species traits and interactions. The package is designed to facilitate comparative analyses and provide a unified framework for ecophylogenetic research.**Picante** is a comprehensive software package designed for analyzing the phylogenetic and trait diversity of ecological communities. It is written in R and C, released under a GPL v2 open-source license, and freely available on the web and from CRAN. The package addresses two key barriers in ecophylogenetic research: the lack of open-source software and the need for multiple software packages with different learning curves and data formatting requirements. Picante includes functions for data manipulation, visualization, phylogenetic diversity metrics, trait comparative analyses, and tests for phylogenetic signal in trait distributions, community structure, and species interactions. It supports various methods for quantifying phylogenetic α- and β-diversity, environmental correlates of phylogenetic community structure, and phylogenetic signal in species traits and interactions. The package is designed to facilitate comparative analyses and provide a unified framework for ecophylogenetic research.