The Myristicaceae are a family of native to Africa, Asia, Pacific islands, and the Americas
The family consists of about 21 genera with about 520 species
Description
They are typically trees with reddish sap and distinctive pagoda-like growth (known as myristicaceous branching) in which horizontal branching only occurs at certain nodes along the main axis of the trunk, each node separated by a large gap where no branching occurs. All genera are
Dioecy, except
Endocomia and some
Iryanthera. The inner bark is usually pink to reddish or light colored then oxidizing as such. When cut, the tree trunk exudes a red or orange resin; stems and young twigs often will exude clear sap (not colored) that may smell spicy. The foliage is generally spicy-aromatic and the leaves are glossy, dark green, simple, entire, 2-ranked, undersides often whitish or tomentose, with dark brown punctations or not, usually with complex caducous hairs colored golden yellow to red. The flowers are usually small, highly reduced, fragrant, with 3-5 tepals, inner perianth whitish-green, yellow, orange, reddish-pink to rusty-brown, arranged in axillary paniculate inflorescences or unbranched wart-like structures (like
Knema). The female flowers are without staminodes, with stigmas often lobed. The male flowers with fused stamens arranged in a synandrium. Pollen is monosulcate, often boat-shaped.
The fruit is a leathery dehiscent capsule, with rusty indument or not,
Many species within the family exhibit highly complex phytochemistry with numerous compounds having been described from the leaves, bark, fruits, arils, and seeds of many species.
Taxonomy
In the APG IV system of 2016, Myristaceae are placed in the order
Magnoliales in the
magnoliids clade.
The genera placed in the family are related as shown in the following cladogram:
List of genera
, Plants of the World Online accepted the following genera:
[ Myristiceae R.Br. Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 18 November 2023.]
Ecology
Myristicaceae are found in humid lowland forests, swamp forests, submontane forests, and
at elevations up to 2100 m. Some of the anatomical characters presented by this family suggest that in the past they could live in xeric (dry) environments, but now their species are linked to tropical rainforests.
The species present anthesis at night, and pollination is usually carried out by small beetles from the Anthicidae family that resemble ants and consume pollen (e.g., Myristica fragrans is probably pollinated by the beetle Formicomus braminus).
A few New Guinea Myristica species have evolved hollow stem swellings in which ants reside. This facilitates a mutualistic relationship known as myrmecophily, and is similar to that of Cecropia.
Uses
The most important products of the family by far are the
nutmeg and mace spices, both derived from respectively the seed and aril of
Myristica fragrans, a tree native to the
Maluku Islands. A hallucinogenic snuff (containing a derivative of
tryptamine) that is used by certain Amazonian tribes is obtained from the bark of
Virola elongata and other closely related species. The wood of some Asian and American species has local commercial use, as is the case of
Otoba parvifolia in South America.
Toxicity
Essential oils of Myristicaceae have antifungal action and antimicrobial activity against
Streptococcus mutans. Myristicaceae is reputed to be a strong
deliriant.
The dark-red
resin of the tree bark in some genera, such as
Virola, contains several hallucinogenic
;
Myristicin poisoning can induce and death.
Fossil record
A fossil seed of †
Myristicacarpum chandlerae from the early
Eocene London Clay flora of southern
England is the earliest record of Myristicaceae.
External links
