All Topics  
Myrsinaceae

 

 
   Email Print
   Bookmark   Link
 

 

Myrsinaceae
 
 
  Topics Myrsinaceae Topic Home

Myrsinaceae, or the Myrsine family, is a rather large family from the order Ericales
Ericales

The Ericales are a large and diverse order of dicotyledons, including for example tea, persimmon, blueberry, Brazil nut, and azalea. The order includes trees and shrubes, lianas and herbaceous plants....
. It consists of 35 genera and about 1000 species.

It is a widespread family belonging to temperate to tropical climates extending north to Europe
Europe

Europe is, conventionally, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural , the Caspian Sea, and by the Caucasus Mountains to the southeast....
, Siberia
Siberia

Siberia , is the name given to the vast region constituting almost all of North Asia and for the most part currently serving as the massive central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, having served in the same capacity previously for the Soviet Union from its beginning, and the Russian Empire beginning in the 16th century....
, Japan
Japan

Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south....
, Mexico
Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federalism constitutionalism republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of Mexico....
 and Florida
Florida

Florida is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States of the United States, bordering Alabama to the northwest and Georgia to the northeast....
, and south to New Zealand
New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses , and numerous Islands of New Zealand, most notably Stewart Island/Rakiura and the Chatham Islands....
, South America
South America

South America is the southern continent of the Americas, situated entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere....
, and South Africa
South Africa

The Republic of South Africa, also known by Official names of South Africa, is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa....
.

They are mostly mesophytic tree
TREE

TREE was a Boston hardcore punk band formed in the summer of 1990. They were active in the Boston music scene until disbanding in 2002....
s and shrub
Shrub

A shrub or bush is a horticulture rather than strictly Botany category of woody plant, distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and lower height, usually less than 5-6 m tall....
s; a few are liana
Liana

The liana is any of various long-stemmed, usually woody vines that are rooted in the soil at ground level and use trees, as well as other means of vertical support, to climb up to the canopy in order to get access to well-lit areas of the forest....
s or sub-herbaceous. The leathery, evergeen leaves
Leaf

In botany, a leaf is an above-ground plant Organ specialized for photosynthesis. For this purpose, a leaf is typically flat and thin, to expose the cells containing chloroplast to light over a broad area, and to allow light to penetrate fully into the tissues....
 are simple and alternate, with smooth margins and without stipules.






Discussion
Ask a question about 'Myrsinaceae'
Start a new discussion about 'Myrsinaceae'
Answer questions from other users
Full Discussion Forum



Encyclopedia


Myrsinaceae, or the Myrsine family, is a rather large family from the order Ericales
Ericales

The Ericales are a large and diverse order of dicotyledons, including for example tea, persimmon, blueberry, Brazil nut, and azalea. The order includes trees and shrubes, lianas and herbaceous plants....
. It consists of 35 genera and about 1000 species.

It is a widespread family belonging to temperate to tropical climates extending north to Europe
Europe

Europe is, conventionally, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural , the Caspian Sea, and by the Caucasus Mountains to the southeast....
, Siberia
Siberia

Siberia , is the name given to the vast region constituting almost all of North Asia and for the most part currently serving as the massive central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, having served in the same capacity previously for the Soviet Union from its beginning, and the Russian Empire beginning in the 16th century....
, Japan
Japan

Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south....
, Mexico
Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federalism constitutionalism republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of Mexico....
 and Florida
Florida

Florida is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States of the United States, bordering Alabama to the northwest and Georgia to the northeast....
, and south to New Zealand
New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses , and numerous Islands of New Zealand, most notably Stewart Island/Rakiura and the Chatham Islands....
, South America
South America

South America is the southern continent of the Americas, situated entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere....
, and South Africa
South Africa

The Republic of South Africa, also known by Official names of South Africa, is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa....
.

They are mostly mesophytic tree
TREE

TREE was a Boston hardcore punk band formed in the summer of 1990. They were active in the Boston music scene until disbanding in 2002....
s and shrub
Shrub

A shrub or bush is a horticulture rather than strictly Botany category of woody plant, distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and lower height, usually less than 5-6 m tall....
s; a few are liana
Liana

The liana is any of various long-stemmed, usually woody vines that are rooted in the soil at ground level and use trees, as well as other means of vertical support, to climb up to the canopy in order to get access to well-lit areas of the forest....
s or sub-herbaceous. The leathery, evergeen leaves
Leaf

In botany, a leaf is an above-ground plant Organ specialized for photosynthesis. For this purpose, a leaf is typically flat and thin, to expose the cells containing chloroplast to light over a broad area, and to allow light to penetrate fully into the tissues....
 are simple and alternate, with smooth margins and without stipules. They are often dotted with glands and resinous cavities.

The plants are mostly monoecious
Plant sexuality

Plant sexuality covers the wide variety of sexual reproduction systems found across the plant kingdom. This article describes Morphology aspects of sexual reproduction of plants....
, but a few are dioecious
Plant sexuality

Plant sexuality covers the wide variety of sexual reproduction systems found across the plant kingdom. This article describes Morphology aspects of sexual reproduction of plants....
. The small flower
Flower

A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproduction structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to mediate the union of male sperm with female ovum in order to produce seeds....
s are growing in racemose
Raceme

A raceme is a type of inflorescence that is unbranched and indeterminate growth and bears pedicellate flowers — flowers having short floral stalks called Pedicel s — along the axis....
 terminal clusters, or in the leaf axils. The flowers are 4-merous or 5-merous, i.e they have 4 or 5 sepal
Sepal

A sepal is a part of the flower of angiosperms . Sepals in a "typical" flower are green and lie under the more conspicuous petals. As a collective unit the sepals are called the Wiktionary:calyx, and the collection of petals is called the Wiktionary:corolla....
s and petal
Petal

A petal is one member or part of the Corolla of a flower. The corolla is the name for all of the petals of a flower; the inner perianth whorl, term used when this is not the same in appearance as the outermost whorl and is used to attract pollinators based on its advertising coloration....
s. The floral envelope (= perianth) has a distinct calyx and corolla. The calyx is regular and polysepalous. The non-fleshy petals of the corolla are more or less united, closely overlapping. There are 4 or 5 stamen
Stamen

The stamen is the male organ of a flower. Each stamen generally has a stalk called the filament , and, on top of the filament, an anther , and pollen sacs, called sporangium....
s, usually isomerous with the perianth. The carpel has one style and one stigma, with the ovary
Ovary (plants)

In the flowering plants, an ovary is a part of the female reproductive organ of the flower or gynoecium. Specifically, it is the part of the carpel which holds the ovule and is located above or below or at the point of connection with the base of the petals and sepals....
 unilocular, superior or semi-inferior.

The one-seeded, indehiscent fruit
Fruit

The term fruit has different meanings dependent on context, and the term is not synonymous in food preparation and biology. In botany, which is the scientific study of plants, fruits are the ripened Ovary of flowering plants....
 is a thin-fleshed berry
Berry

In everyday English, a berry is a broad term for any small edible fruit. Most berries are juicy, round or semi-oblong, brightly coloured, sweet or sour, and don't have a stone or pit....
 or drupe
Drupe

In botany, a drupe is a fruit in which an outer fleshy part surrounds a shell of hardened endocarp with a seed inside. These fruits develop from a single carpel, and mostly from flowers with superior ovary....
.

North-American species are the Marlberry (Ardisia escalloniodes) and the Florida Rapanea (Rapanea punctata).

Plants in the Myrsine family have few economic uses. A few genera, such as Ardisia
Ardisia

Ardisia is a genus of flowering plants in the family Myrsinaceae , native to warm temperate to tropical regions of the Americas, Asia, and Australasia....
, Cyclamen
Cyclamen

Cyclamen is a genus of 23 species of flowering plants, traditionally classified in the family Primulaceae, but in recent years reclassified in the family Myrsinaceae....
, Lysimachia
Lysimachia

Lysimachia is a genus of flowering plants. It is traditionally Scientific classification in the family Primulaceae but should, according to Molecular phylogeny study, be placed to the family Myrsinaceae ....
, and Myrsine
Myrsine

Myrsine is a genus of flowering plants, the nominate genus of the family Myrsinaceae. It is found nearly worldwide, primarily in tropical and subtropical areas....
 are grown as ornamental plants, especially Ardisia crispa and Myrsine africana. One species, Ardisia japonica
Ardisia japonica

Ardisia japonica is a species of Ardisia native to eastern Asia, in eastern China, Japan and Korea....
 (Chinese: ???; pinyin: zijin niú) is one of the 50 fundamental herbs in traditional Chinese medicine
Traditional Chinese medicine

Traditional Chinese medicine includes a range of traditional medicine practices originating in China. Although well accepted in the mainstream of medical care throughout East Asia, it is considered an alternative medicine system in much of the western world....
.

Genera


  • Aegiceras
    Aegiceras

    Aegiceras is a genus of trees and shrubs comprising two species from Southeast Asia, Malesia, Australia and the Pacific Islands. They occur in coastal or estuarine areas....
  • Amblyanthopsis
  • Amblyanthus
  • Anagallis
    Anagallis

    Anagallis is a genus of about 20?25 species of flowering plants in the myrsine family Myrsinaceae, commonly called pimpernel and perhaps best known for the Scarlet pimpernel referred to in literature....
  • Antistrophe
  • Ardisia
    Ardisia

    Ardisia is a genus of flowering plants in the family Myrsinaceae , native to warm temperate to tropical regions of the Americas, Asia, and Australasia....
  • Asterolinon (should be included into the Anagallis clade)
  • Badula
    Badula

    Badula is a genus of plant in family Myrsinaceae.Species include:* Badula crassa, Alphonse Pyrame de Candolle* Badula platyphylla, Coode...
  • Conandrium
  • Coris
  • Ctenardisia
  • Cybianthus
  • Cyclamen
    Cyclamen

    Cyclamen is a genus of 23 species of flowering plants, traditionally classified in the family Primulaceae, but in recent years reclassified in the family Myrsinaceae....
  • Discocalyx
  • Elingamita
    Elingamita

    Elingamita is a genus in the Myrsinaceae family of plants. It consists of a single species, Elingamita johnsonii, a tree or shrub endemic to the Three Kings Islands approximately 55 km north of the North Island of New Zealand....
  • Embelia
  • Emblemantha
  • Fittingia
  • Geissanthus
    Geissanthus

    Geissanthus is a genus of plant in family Myrsinaceae.Species include:* Geissanthus challuayacus, Pipoly* Geissanthus ecuadorensis, Carl Christian Mez...
  • Glaux (should be included into the clade Lysimachia)
  • Heberdenia
    Heberdenia

    Heberdenia is a genus of plant in family Myrsinaceae. It contains the following species :* Heberdenia excelsa, Banks...
  • Hymenandra
  • Labisia
  • Loheria
  • Lysimachia
    Lysimachia

    Lysimachia is a genus of flowering plants. It is traditionally Scientific classification in the family Primulaceae but should, according to Molecular phylogeny study, be placed to the family Myrsinaceae ....
  • Maesa
    Maesa

    Maesa is a genus of plant in family Myrsinaceae.Species include:* Maesa alnifolia*     Maesa angolensis* ''Maesa bequaertii* ''Maesa borjeana...
     : has been raised to family rank Maesaceae - Anderberg et al (2000)
  • Monoporus
  • Myrsine
    Myrsine

    Myrsine is a genus of flowering plants, the nominate genus of the family Myrsinaceae. It is found nearly worldwide, primarily in tropical and subtropical areas....
  • Oncostemum
  • Parathesis
    Parathesis

    Parathesis is a genus of plant in family Myrsinaceae.Species include:* Parathesis amplifolia, Lund.* Parathesis aurantica, Cyrus Longworth Lundell...
  • Pelletiera (should be included into the Anagallis clade)
  • Pleiomeris
    Pleiomeris

    Pleiomeris is a genus of plant in family Myrsinaceae. It contains the following species :* Pleiomeris canariensis, A.DC...
  • Rapanea
    Rapanea

    Rapanea is a genus of plant in family Myrsinaceae.Species include:* Rapanea allenii, Lund.* Rapanea ceylanica, Carl Christian Mez...
  • Sadiria
  • Solonia
  • Stylogyne
    Stylogyne

    Stylogyne is a genus of plant in family Myrsinaceae.Species include:* Stylogyne darienensis, Cyrus Longworth Lundell...
  • Tapeinosperma
    Tapeinosperma

    Tapeinosperma is a genus of plant in family Myrsinaceae.Species include:* Tapeinosperma campanula, Carl Christian Mez...
  • Trientalis
    Trientalis

    Trientalis is a small genus of flowering plants containing three species known as starflowers or wintergreens. These plants have the unusual trait of sometimes bearing Flower in sevens....
  • Tetrardisia
  • Vegaea
  • Wallenia
    Wallenia

    Wallenia is a genus of plant in family Myrsinaceae.Species include:* Wallenia calyptrata, Ignatz Urban* Wallenia clusioides, Mez...


The following genera, traditionally categorized in Primulaceae
Primulaceae

Primulaceae is a family of flowering plants with about 24 genus, including some favorite garden plants and wildflowers. It is also known as the primrose family....
 s.l., should, according to Källersjö et al (2000), belong to the clade of Myrsinaceae s. lat. : Anagallis, Ardisiandra, Asterolinon , Coris, Cyclamen, Glaux , Lysimachia, Pelletiera and Trientalis .