Spermatophyta: Dicotyledonae: Metachlamydeae: Ericales

Myrsinaceae - Myrsine family

Kupicha, F.K. (1983) Myrsinaceae Flora Zambesiaca 7(1)

Description of the family

Trees or shrubs. Leaves simple, alternate or clustered at branch ends, with translucent gland dots or dashes or glandular-hairy. Stipules 0. Inflorescences lateral, of various types. Flowers usually individually inconspicuous, bisexual or unisexual (plants dioecious), actinomorphic, 4- or 5-merous. Calyx often with dark spots. Petals usually white or pink, often with dark dots or stripes. Stamens as many as and opposite to the petals. Ovary superior or (Maesa) semi-inferior, 1-locular. Fruit an indehiscent berry or drupe, 1-seeded or (Maesa) many-seeded.

Comment: Myrsinaceae is sometimes placed within the Primulaceae and Maesa is sometimes put in a separate family, the Maesaceae.

Worldwide: 33 genera and 1225 species, occurring particularly in tropical and warm areas, but with a few temperate Old World species.

Mozambique: 4 genera and 6 taxa.

Myrsine africana

Links to genera:     View: living plant images - herbarium specimen images - all images for this family

GenusContent
Embelia Burm. f.Description, Image
Maesa Forssk.Description, Image
Myrsine L.Description, Image
Rapanea Aubl.Description

Other sources of information about Myrsinaceae:

Our websites:

Flora of Caprivi: Myrsinaceae
Flora of Malawi: Myrsinaceae
Flora of Zambia: Myrsinaceae
Flora of Zimbabwe: Myrsinaceae
Flora of Zimbabwe: cultivated Myrsinaceae

External websites:

African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Myrsinaceae
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
GRIN (Germplasm Resources Information Network) taxonomy for plants report for Myrsinaceae
Wikipedia: Myrsinaceae


Copyright: Mark Hyde, Bart Wursten, Petra Ballings and Meg Coates Palgrave 2007-23

Hyde, M.A., Wursten, B.T., Ballings, P. & Coates Palgrave, M. (2023). Flora of Mozambique: Family page: Myrsinaceae.
https://www.mozambiqueflora.com/speciesdata/family.php?family_id=147, retrieved 27 March 2023

Site software last modified: 10 August 2019 11:32pm
Terms of use