Myoporaceae

Plant Characteristics

Cultivation

Scientific Names

Read about Myoporaceae in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture

Myoporaceae (from the genus Myoporum, signifying to shut a pore, in reference to the spots in the leaves which are closed by a membrane). Myoporum Family. Fig. 54. Shrubs or trees: leaves alternate, rarely opposite, usually glandular or woolly: flowers bisexual, regular or irregular; calyx 5-cleft, persistent; corolla 5-lobed, gamopetalous, hypogynous; stamens 4, didynamous, the fifth a staminodium, epipetalous; ovary superior, 2-celled or falsely 3-10-celled; usually 1-2, rarely 8, ovules in each cell; style 1; stigmas 1-2: fruit drupaceous. There are 5 genera and about 90 species, of which 57 belong to Pholidia and 25 to Myoporum. They are mainly natives of Australia, but scattered species occur in the West Indies, Japan, China, Hawaiian Islands, and elsewhere. The family is related to the Scrophulariaceae and to the Verbenaceae. The few ovules, the presence of oil-glands and the pendulous seeds are distinctive. Myoporum platycarpum is the sandal-tree or sugar-tree or dogwood of Australia. From it, a kind of manna is secreted; also a resin that is used like sealing-wax. Two species of Myoporum are grown as ornamental plants in this country. CH The above text is from the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture. It may be out of date, but still contains valuable and interesting information which can be incorporated into the remainder of the article. Click on "Collapse" in the header to hide this text.

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References

• Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture, by L. H. Bailey, MacMillan Co., 1963

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