Difference between revisions of "Myrtaceae"

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{{Taxobox
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__NOTOC__{{Plantbox
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| color = lightgreen
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| name = ''Myrtaceae''
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| name = Myrtle family
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| common_names =     <!--- if multiple, list all, if none, leave blank -->
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| color = IndianRed
 
| image = Myrtus communis.jpg
 
| image = Myrtus communis.jpg
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| image_width = 250px
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| image_width = 240px    <!--- leave as 240px if horizontal orientation photo, or change to 180px if vertical -->
 
| image_caption = ''Myrtus communis'' foliage and flowers
 
| image_caption = ''Myrtus communis'' foliage and flowers
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| regnum = [[Plant]]ae
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| regnum = Plantae
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| divisio = [[Flowering plant|Magnoliophyta]]
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| divisio = Magnoliophyta
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| classis = [[Magnoliopsida]]
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| classis = Magnoliopsida
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| ordo = [[Myrtales]]
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| ordo = Myrtales
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| familia = '''Myrtaceae'''
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| familia = Myrtaceae
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| familia_authority = [[Antoine Laurent de Jussieu|Juss.]]
 
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| subdivision_ranks = Genera
 
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| subdivision =
 
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About 130; see list
 
 
}}
 
}}
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{{Inc|
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Myrtaceae (from the genus Myrtus derived from the classical name myrtle, which probably meant perfume). Myrtle Family. Fig. 43. Usually shrubby or arborescent aromatically fragrant plants: leaves usually opposite, thick, entire and pellucid-dotted: flowers bisexual, regular, rarely perigynous; sepals mostly 4-5, imbricated; petals 4-5, imbricated; stamens very numerous by splitting, often in fascicles which are opposite the petals; ovary inferior, 1- to many-celled: fruit usually a berry, rarely a drupe or nut; seeds 1- to many.
  
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The '''Myrtaceae''' or '''Myrtle family''' are a family of [[dicotyledon]] [[plant]]s, placed within the order [[Myrtales]]. [[Myrtle]], [[clove]], [[guava]], [[feijoa]], [[allspice]], and [[eucalyptus]] belong here. All species are woody, with [[essential oil]]s, and flower parts in multiples of four or five. One notable character of the family is that the [[phloem]] is located on both sides of the [[xylem]], not just outside as in most other plants. The [[leaf|leaves]] are [[evergreen]], alternate to mostly opposite, simple, and usually with an entire (not toothed) margin. The [[flower]]s have a base number of five petals, though in several genera the petals are minute or absent. The [[stamen]]s are usually very conspicuous, brightly coloured and numerous.
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The 72 genera and 2,750 species are confined almost entirely to the tropics, but with two great centers of distribution, one in tropical America and the other in Australia. Eugenia contains 625 species, and Eucalyptus more than 130 species. This is a large family related to the Melastomaceae, Onagraceae, and Lythraceae. The very numerous stamens, derived by the splitting of the few original stamens, and the oil-glands are distinctive. The petals of Eucalyptus remain firmly grown together, and, when the flower opens, they separate along a transverse line and are thrown off as a lid.
  
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The family Myrtaceae has at least 3000 species distributed in 130-150 genera. They have a wide distribution in tropical and warm-temperate regions of the world, and are typically common in many of the world's [[biodiversity hotspot]]s. Genera with capsular fruits such as ''[[Eucalyptus]]'', ''[[Corymbia]]'', ''[[Angophora]]'', ''[[Leptospermum]]'', ''[[Melaleuca]]'', ''[[Metrosideros]]'' are absent from the Americas, apart from the monotypic genus ''Tepualia'' in [[Chile]]. Genera with fleshy fruits have their greatest concentrations in eastern [[Australia]] and [[Malesia]] (the [[Australasia ecozone]]) and the [[Neotropic]]s. ''Eucalyptus'' is a dominant, nearly ubiquitous genus in the more mesic parts of Australia and extends north sporadically to the [[Philippines]]. ''[[Eucalyptus regnans]]'' is the tallest flowering plant in the world. Other important Australian genera are ''[[bottlebrush|Callistemon]]'' (bottlebrushes), ''[[Syzygium]]'', and ''[[Melaleuca]]'' (paperbarks). The genus ''[[Osbornia]]'', native to Australasia, are [[mangrove]]s. ''[[Eugenia]]'', ''[[Myrcia]]'', and ''[[Calyptranthes]]'' are among the larger genera in the neotropics.  
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The Myrtaceae are rich in volatile oils; also in tannin, acids, sugars, mucilage, and fixed oils. Cloves are the flower-buds of Jambosa caryophyllus. The fruit of Pimenta officinalis is thought to combine the flavors of the nutmeg, cinnamon, and clove, and is therefore termed allspice. Psidium Guajava is a tree cultivated in the tropics for the much-prized fruits. Oil of myrica is obtained from the leaves of Pimenta acris of the West Indies, and is used in making bay rum. Oil of cajeput, a fragrant oil used in medicine, is secured from the leaves and twigs of the East Indian Melaleuca Leucadendron. The leaves of the European myrtle (Myrtus communis) yield a distilled preparation known as eau-d'ange, used as a toilet article. Other edible fruits are rose apples (Jambosa malaccensis and J. vulgaris) of the East Indies and Pacific Ocean. Jambos berries are obtained from Jambosa vulgaris, which is extensively cultivated in the tropics. Oil of eucalyptus is an important aromatic oil obtained from the foliage of various species of that genus. The wood of Eucalyptus is hard, firm and elastic, and is much prized in wood-carving. Many other species of this family are in use locally for food, condiments, medicine, timber, and so on.
  
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Historically, the Myrtaceae were divided into two subfamilies.
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About 20 genera are in cultivation in North America, mostly in the South or Southwest. Among these are the Bottle-brush (Callistemon), Cajaput Tree (Mela-leuca), Eucalyptus or Australian Blue-gum, Rose Apple or Jambos (Jambosa), Cayenne Cherry (Eugenia), Myrtle (Myrtus), Guava (Psidium), Allspice, Pimento (Pimenta), Brisbane Box (Tristania), Turpentine Tree (Syncarpia), and Downy Myrtle (Rhodomyrtus).{{SCH}}
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*Subfamily '''Myrtoideae''' have fleshy fruits and opposite, entire leaves.  Most genera in this subfamily have one of three easily recognized types of embryos. The genera of Myrtoideae can be very difficult to distinguish in the absence of mature fruits. The Myrtoideae are found worldwide in subtropical and tropical regions, with centres of diversity in the Neotropics, northeastern Australia, and Malesia.
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*Subfamily '''Leptospermoideae''' has dry, indehiscent fruits (capsules) and leaves arranged spirally or alternate. The Leptospermoideae are found mostly in Australasia, with a centre of diversity in Australia. Many genera in Western Australia have greatly reduced leaves and flowers typical of more xeric habitats.
 
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The division of the Myrtaceae into the Leptospermoideae and Myrtoideae was challenged by a number of authors, including Johnson and Briggs (1984), who identified 14 tribes or clades within the Myrtaceae, and found the Myrtoideae to be polyphyletic. A molecular analysis by Wilson, O'Brien et al. (2001) found eleven strong groupings within the family, including many of the groupings identified by Johnson and Briggs. Further molecular analysis by Sytsma and Litt (2002) found that the Neotropic Myrtoideae grouping fit within the paraphyletic Leptopermoideae.
 
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The genera ''[[Heteropyxis]]'' and ''[[Psiloxylon]]'', which some authorities include in Myrtaceae, are here placed as separate families by most authors, based on evidence of their divergence before the origin of the common ancestor of the Myrtaceae.
 
  
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== Genera ==
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==Genera==
 
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*''[[Xanthostemon]]''
 
*''[[Xanthostemon]]''
 
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==Gallery==
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Image:Upload.png| photo 1
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</gallery>
  
 
==References==
 
==References==
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* [[Lawrence Alexander Sidney Johnson|Johnson, L.A.S.]] and Briggs, B.G. [[1984]]. Myrtales and Myrtaceae – a phylogenetic analysis. ''Annals of the Missouri Botanic Garden'' 71: 700-756.
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*[[Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture]], by L. H. Bailey, MacMillan Co., 1963
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* Wilson, Peter G., O'Brien, Marcelle M., Gadek, Paul A., and Quinn, Christopher J. [[2001]]. "Myrtaceae Revisited: A Reassessment of Infrafamilial Groups". ''[[American Journal of Botany]]'' 88 (11): 2013–2025. Available [http://www.amjbot.org/cgi/reprint/88/11/2013.pdf online] (pdf file).
 
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* Sytsma, Kenneth J. and Amy Litt. [[2002]]. Tropical disjunctions in and among the Myrtaceae clade (Myrtaceae, Heteropyxidaceae, Psiloxylaceae, Vochysiaceae): Gondwanan vicariance or dispersal? (Abstract). Botany 2002 Conference, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, August 4-7 2002.
 
  
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== External links ==
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==External links==
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{{Commonscat|Myrtaceae}}
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*{{wplink}}
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{{Wikispecies|Myrtaceae}}
 
  
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{{stub}}
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[[Category:Categorize]]
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[[Category:Plant families]]
 
[[Category:Myrtaceae| ]]
 
[[Category:Myrtaceae| ]]
 
[[Category:Myrtales]]
 
[[Category:Myrtales]]
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[[Category:Plant families]]
 

Latest revision as of 04:37, 14 May 2009


Myrtus communis foliage and flowers


Plant Characteristics
Cultivation
Scientific Names

Myrtaceae >



Read about Myrtaceae in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture 

Myrtaceae (from the genus Myrtus derived from the classical name myrtle, which probably meant perfume). Myrtle Family. Fig. 43. Usually shrubby or arborescent aromatically fragrant plants: leaves usually opposite, thick, entire and pellucid-dotted: flowers bisexual, regular, rarely perigynous; sepals mostly 4-5, imbricated; petals 4-5, imbricated; stamens very numerous by splitting, often in fascicles which are opposite the petals; ovary inferior, 1- to many-celled: fruit usually a berry, rarely a drupe or nut; seeds 1- to many.

The 72 genera and 2,750 species are confined almost entirely to the tropics, but with two great centers of distribution, one in tropical America and the other in Australia. Eugenia contains 625 species, and Eucalyptus more than 130 species. This is a large family related to the Melastomaceae, Onagraceae, and Lythraceae. The very numerous stamens, derived by the splitting of the few original stamens, and the oil-glands are distinctive. The petals of Eucalyptus remain firmly grown together, and, when the flower opens, they separate along a transverse line and are thrown off as a lid.

The Myrtaceae are rich in volatile oils; also in tannin, acids, sugars, mucilage, and fixed oils. Cloves are the flower-buds of Jambosa caryophyllus. The fruit of Pimenta officinalis is thought to combine the flavors of the nutmeg, cinnamon, and clove, and is therefore termed allspice. Psidium Guajava is a tree cultivated in the tropics for the much-prized fruits. Oil of myrica is obtained from the leaves of Pimenta acris of the West Indies, and is used in making bay rum. Oil of cajeput, a fragrant oil used in medicine, is secured from the leaves and twigs of the East Indian Melaleuca Leucadendron. The leaves of the European myrtle (Myrtus communis) yield a distilled preparation known as eau-d'ange, used as a toilet article. Other edible fruits are rose apples (Jambosa malaccensis and J. vulgaris) of the East Indies and Pacific Ocean. Jambos berries are obtained from Jambosa vulgaris, which is extensively cultivated in the tropics. Oil of eucalyptus is an important aromatic oil obtained from the foliage of various species of that genus. The wood of Eucalyptus is hard, firm and elastic, and is much prized in wood-carving. Many other species of this family are in use locally for food, condiments, medicine, timber, and so on.

About 20 genera are in cultivation in North America, mostly in the South or Southwest. Among these are the Bottle-brush (Callistemon), Cajaput Tree (Mela-leuca), Eucalyptus or Australian Blue-gum, Rose Apple or Jambos (Jambosa), Cayenne Cherry (Eugenia), Myrtle (Myrtus), Guava (Psidium), Allspice, Pimento (Pimenta), Brisbane Box (Tristania), Turpentine Tree (Syncarpia), and Downy Myrtle (Rhodomyrtus).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.


Genera

Gallery

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References

External links

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