Myristicaceae

Myristicaceae
Temporal range: Eocene - recent[1]
Myristica fragrans (Nutmeg), Koehler (1887)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Magnoliids
Order: Magnoliales
Family: Myristicaceae
R.Br.[2]
Genera

See text

The Myristicaceae are a family of flowering plants native to Africa, Asia, Pacific islands, and the Americas[3] and has been recognized by most taxonomists. It is sometimes called the "nutmeg family", after its most famous member, Myristica fragrans, the source of the spices nutmeg and mace. The best known genera are Myristica in Asia and Virola in the Neotropics.

The family consists of about 21 genera with about 520 species[4] of trees, shrubs and rarely lianas (Pycnanthus) found in tropical forests around the world. Most of the species are large trees that are valued in the timber industry.

Fruits of Horsfieldia kingii
Fruit of Knema globularia
Seeds of Horsfieldia amygdalina
  1. ^ "Magnoliales". www.mobot.org. Retrieved 2023-06-18.
  2. ^ Angiosperm Phylogeny Group (2009). "An update of the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group classification for the orders and families of flowering plants: APG III" (PDF). Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society. 161 (2): 105–121. doi:10.1111/j.1095-8339.2009.00996.x. hdl:10654/18083. Retrieved 2013-07-06.
  3. ^ Bingtao Li and Thomas K. Wilson (2008), "Myristicaceae", Flora of China online, vol. 7
  4. ^ CHRISTENHUSZ, MAARTEN J.M.; BYNG, JAMES W. (2016-05-20). "The number of known plants species in the world and its annual increase". Phytotaxa. 261 (3): 201. doi:10.11646/phytotaxa.261.3.1. ISSN 1179-3163.