MYRTACEAE: CHARACTERISTICS, HABITAT, TAXONOMY AND CLASSIFICATION - SCIENCE - 2024

Myrtaceae is a family of dicotyledonous plants of the shrub type, evergreen arboreal and aromatic that belong to the order Myrtales. Myrtaceae are made up of approximately 120 genera and 3,000 species native to the tropical and subtropical region of America, Australia, and Asia.

Most myrtaceae have a high economic value due to the presence of species with edible fruits and raw material for obtaining oils, spices and wood. Likewise, various species are cultivated for their ornamental character.

Callistemon inflorescence. Source: pixabay.com

In this regard, some species of the genus Eucalyptus are a source of wood and essential oils. Different genera have high ornamental value due to the presence of showy flowers, such as Acca, Callistemon, Eucalyptus, Leptospermum, Myrtus and Myrrhinium.

Most of the fruits of tropical species are edible. These species include guava (Psidium guajava), Brazilian cherry (E. brasiliensis), pitanga (Eugenia uniflora) and jabuticaba (Myrciaria cauliflora)

General characteristics

Habits

Shrubby, arboreal and climbing plants.

Leaves

Opposite or alternate, simple, entire margin, leathery and semi-coriaceous, with aromatic glandular points.

Inflorescences

Terminal or axillary, flowers solitary or in racemes -panicles-, reduced main axis and fasciculate inflorescences.

flowers

Radial or actinomorphic, bisexual. Ovary fused to hypanthium. Sepals and petals generally 4-5 free lobes, sometimes soldered, rarely absent. Stamens abundant, rarely less than 20, forming a fascicle. White, yellow, sometimes red or blue.

Fruit

The fruit is a berry, occasionally a capsule. In the majority crowned by a group of persistent sepals.

Seeds

Unitary or numerous, with absent endosperm.

Distribution and habitat

The myrtaceae family is widely distributed in the tropical and subtropical regions of America, Africa, Asia and Australia. Regarding the habitat, it develops in various terrestrial ecosystems, except in arid and semi-arid areas.

Taxonomy

The family Myrtaceae is located in the order Myrtales, in the group Rosidae within the eudicotyledons. Myrtaceae is the sister family of Vochysiaceae, with which it shares the presence of short and simple villi, as well as imbricated calyx and corolla.

Some synapomorphies or homologous characters of the order are: opposite leaves, valved calyx, multiple ovules per carpel, simple and long style, persistent calyx on the fruit.

• Kingdom: Plantae
• Subkingdom: Viridiplantae
• Underkingdom: Streptophyta
• Superdivision: Embryophyta
• Division: Magnoliophyta
• Subdivision: Spermatophytina
• Class: Magnoliopsida
• Superorder: Rosanae
• Order: Myrtales

Family: Myrtaceae Juss (Jussieu, Antoine Laurent de).

Published in: Genera Plantarum 322–323. 1789. (4 Aug 1789).

Classification

Agonis (DC.) Sweet

Alternate leaf bushes. Small sessile flowers grouped in heads. Fruit in loculicidal capsule. It comprises 11 species native to Western Australia.

Agonis flexuosa (Spreng.) Schauer.

Agonis juniperina Schauer.

Angophora Cav.

Trees or shrubs. Leaves leathery and opposite. Small flowers in umbelliferous cymes. Woody capsule. It comprises 8 species native to Eastern Australia.

Angophora costata (Gaertn.) Britten.

Angophora bakeri C. Hall.

Angophora floribunda (Sm.) Sweet.

Callistemon R.Br.

Short trees and shrubs and pubescent evergreen. Oval and leathery leaves. Sessile flowers arranged in spikes. It comprises 25 species native to Australia.

Callistemon paludosus FJMuell.

Callistemon salignus (Sm.) DC.

Callistemon viminalis (Soland. Ex Gaertn.) G. Don ex Loud.

Eucalyptus L'Her.

Resinous shrubs and trees. Holes alternate, lanceolate. Umbelliform axillary inflorescences. The fruit is a woody capsule. It comprises around 500 native Australian species, with some representative in Malaysia and the Philippines.

1. Eucalyptus camaldulensis Dehnh.

2. Eucalyptus cinerea FJMuell. ex Benth.

3. Eucalyptus erythrocorys FJMuell.

4. Eucalyptus ficifolia FJMuell.

5. Eucalyptus globulus Labill.

6. Eucalyptus gomphocephala DC.

7. Eucalyptus occidentalis Endl.

8. Eucalyptus salmonophloia FJMuell.

9. Eucalyptus torelliana FJMuell

10. Eucalyptus viminalis Labill.

Eucalyptus. Source: pixabay.com

Eugenia L.

Shrubs and trees with simple, glossy leaves. Clustered racemose flowers. The fruit is a round berry. It comprises around 1,000 species distributed mainly in South America, with some representatives in Africa, Asia and the Pacific islands.

Eugenia uniflora L.

Feijoa O. Berg.

Evergreen trees and shrubs. Simple and opposite leaves. Flowers solitary and in clusters. The fruit is an oval low. It includes 2 species native to Brazil.

Feijoa sellowiana O. Berg.

Lophomyrtus Burret

Short shrubs or trees. Simple, coriaceous and dotted leaves. Unique, axillary and pedunculated flowers. White flowers. The fruit is a berry. It comprises 2 species native to New Zealand.

Lophomyrtus bullata (Soland. Ex A.Cunn.) Burret

Luma A. Gray

Small glandular and evergreen trees and shrubs. Semi-rounded and opposite leaves. Individual flowers. The fruit is a fleshy berry. It includes 4 native species from Argentina and Chile.

Luma apiculata (DC.) Burret

Melaleuca L.

Peel-bark evergreen shrubs and trees. Whole, leathery and alternate leaves. Flowers arranged in spikes. Hardened capsule consisting of three leaflets. It comprises 150 species native to Australia, and certain species from New Guinea and Malaysia.

1. Melaleuca armillaris (Soland. & Gaertn.) Sm.

2. Melaleuca ericifolia Sm.

3. Melaleuca linariifolia Sm.

4. Melaleuca styphelioides Sm.

Metrosideros Banks ex Gaertn.

Trees, shrubs or vines. Simple, opposite and aromatic leaves. Terminal and axial cymose flowers. The fruit is a leathery capsule. It includes 50 species native to South Africa, Australasia, Malaysia and the Pacific Islands.

Metrosideros excelsa Soland. ex Gaertn.

Metrosideros umbellata Cav.

Myrciaria O. Berg

Evergreen trees and shrubs. Simple and opposite leaves. Flowers in axial and lateral glomeruli. The fruit is a fleshy oval berry. It includes 40 species distributed throughout tropical America.

Myrciaria cauliflora (DC.) O. Berg

Psidium L.

Evergreen shrubs and trees. Simple, whole and opposite leaves. Individual flowers, in cymes or paucifloras. The fruit is an edible pyriform berry. It includes 100 species native to tropical America.

Psidium guajava L.

Psidium montanum Swartz

Guava. Source: pixabay.com

Syncarpia Ten.

Trees Opposite leaves. Individual flowers or in globose heads. The fruit is a capsule. It comprises 5 species native to Australia and the Moluccas Islands.

Syncarpia glomulifera (Sm.) Nied.

Syzygium Gaertn.

Evergreen shrub or trees. Pointed, leathery, opposite and aromatic leaves. Individual or group flowers. The fruit is a succulent berry. It comprises approximately 500 species native to tropical America.

Syzygium australe (Wendl. Ex Link.) B. Hyland

Syzygium paniculatum Gaertn.

Syzygium cordatum Hochst. ex Krauss

Tristania R.Br.

Evergreen trees and shrubs. Irregular and alternate leaves. Tiny white and yellow flowers. The fruit is a valve. It comprises 1 species native to Australia.

Tristania conferta R.Br. (Lophostemon confertus)

Campomanesia Ruiz & Pav.

Small shrubs or deciduous trees. Leathery and aromatic leaves. Individual or grouped flowers. The fruit is a rounded berry. It comprises 25 species in South America.

Campomanesia xanthocarpa (Mart.) O. Berg

Campomanesia guazumifolia. Source: Huertasurbanas

References

1. Myrtaceae Family (2015) Plant Diversity Consultation Guide. FACENA (UNNE). Recovered at: unne.edu.ar
2. Myrtaceae (2019) ITIS Report. Taxonomic Serial No.: 27172. Retrieved from: itis.gov
3. Myrtaceae (2018) Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Recovered at: es.wikipedia.org
4. Myrtaceae Juss. (2017) Systematics of Vascular Plants. Recovered at: thecompositaehut.com
5. Sánchez-Chávez Erandi & Zamudio Sergio (2017) Myrtaceae. Flora of the Bajío and Adjacent Regions. Fascicle 197. 48 pp.
6. Sánchez de Lorenzo-Cáceres Jose Manuel (2018) Ornamental Trees. Myrtaceae Family Recovered in: arbolesornamentales.es