Myrtaceae (/mərˈteɪsiˌaɪ, -siːˌiː/), the myrtle family, is a family of dicotyledonous plants placed within the order Myrtales. Myrtle, pōhutukawa, bay rum tree, clove, guava, acca (feijoa), allspice, and eucalyptus are some notable members of this group. All species are woody, contain essential oils, and have flower parts in multiples of four or five. The leaves are evergreen, alternate to mostly opposite, simple, and usually entire (i.e., without a toothed margin). The flowers have a base number of five petals, though in several genera, the petals are minute or absent. The stamens are usually very conspicuous, brightly coloured, and numerous.
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👉 Myrtaceae in the context of Eucalyptus
A eucalyptus (/ˌjuːkəˈlɪptəs/) is a plant in the genus Eucalyptus, which consists of more than 700 species of flowering plants in the family Myrtaceae. Most species of eucalyptus are trees, often mallees, and a few are shrubs. Along with several other genera in the tribe Eucalypteae, including Corymbia and Angophora, they are commonly known as eucalypts or "gum trees". Eucalyptuses have bark that is either smooth, fibrous, hard, or stringy and leaves that have oil glands. The sepals and petals are fused to form a "cap" or operculum over the stamens, hence the name from Greek eû ("well") and kaluptós ("covered"). The fruit is a woody capsule commonly referred to as a "gumnut".
Most species of eucalyptus are native to Australia, and every state and territory has representative species. About three-quarters of Australian forests are eucalypt forests. Many eucalypt species have adapted to wildfire, are able to resprout after fire, or have seeds that survive fire.
In this Dossier
- ⭐ Core Definition: Myrtaceae
- 👉 Myrtaceae in the context of Eucalyptus
- Myrtaceae in the context of Myrtle (common)
- Myrtaceae in the context of Eucalyptus camaldulensis
- Myrtaceae in the context of Eucalypteae
- Myrtaceae in the context of Angophora
- Myrtaceae in the context of Clove
- Myrtaceae in the context of Myrtus
Myrtaceae in the context of Myrtle (common)
Myrtus communis, the common myrtle or true myrtle, is a species of flowering plant in the myrtle family Myrtaceae. It is an evergreen shrub native to southern Europe, North Africa, Western Asia, Macaronesia, and the Indian subcontinent, and also cultivated.
The plant is an evergreen shrub or small tree, growing to 5 metres (16 ft) tall. The leaves are 2–5 centimetres (1–2 in) long, with a fragrant essential oil.
Myrtaceae in the context of Eucalyptus camaldulensis
Eucalyptus camaldulensis, commonly known as river red gum, is a flowering plant in the family Myrtaceae, and is endemic to Australia. It is a tree with smooth white or cream-coloured bark, lance-shaped or curved adult leaves, flower buds in groups of seven or nine, white flowers and hemispherical fruit with the valves extending beyond the rim. A familiar and iconic tree, it is seen along many watercourses across inland Australia, providing shade in the extreme temperatures of central Australia and elsewhere.
Myrtaceae in the context of Eucalypteae
Eucalypteae is a large tribe of woody flowering plants with capsule fruiting bodies in the family Myrtaceae; members of this tribe are known as eucalypts. In Australia the genera Angophora, Corymbia, and Eucalyptus are commonly known as gum trees, for the sticky substance that exudes from the trunk of some species, or stringybarks. As of 2020, the tribe comprised around 860 species, all native to Southeast Asia and Oceania, with a main diversity center in Australia.
Myrtaceae in the context of Angophora
Angophora is a genus of nine species of trees and shrubs in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. Endemic to eastern Australia, they differ from other eucalypts in having juvenile and adult leaves arranged in opposite pairs, sepals reduced to projections on the edge of the floral cup, four or five overlapping, more or less round petals, and a papery or thin, woody, often strongly ribbed capsule. Species are found between the Atherton Tableland in Queensland and south through New South Wales to eastern Victoria, Australia.
Myrtaceae in the context of Clove
Cloves are the aromatic flower buds of a tree in the family Myrtaceae, Syzygium aromaticum (/sɪˈzɪdʒiːəm ˌærəˈmætɪkəm/). They are native to the Maluku Islands, or Moluccas, in Indonesia, and are commonly used as a spice, flavoring, or fragrance in consumer products, such as toothpaste, soaps, or cosmetics. Cloves are available throughout the year owing to different harvest seasons across various countries.
Myrtaceae in the context of Myrtus
Myrtus (commonly called myrtle) is a genus of flowering plants in the family Myrtaceae. It was first described by Swedish botanist Linnaeus in 1753.
Over 600 names have been proposed in the genus, but nearly all have either been moved to other genera or been regarded as synonyms. Two species are currently accepted: