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''Myristica'' is a genus of trees in the family
Myristicaceae The Myristicaceae are a Family (biology), family of flowering plants native to Africa, Asia, Pacific islands, and the Americas and has been recognized by most taxonomists. It is sometimes called the "nutmeg family", after its most famous member, ...
. There are over 150 species, distributed in
Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...
and the western Pacific. The type species of the genus, and the most economically important member, is ''
Myristica fragrans ''Myristica fragrans'' is an evergreen tree indigenous to the Maluku Islands of Indonesia. It is important as the main source of the spices nutmeg and mace. It is widely grown across the tropics including Guangdong and Yunnan in China, Taiwan, ...
'' (the nutmeg tree), from which mace is also derived.


Etymology

The name ' is from the Greek adjective , meaning ‘fragrant, for anointing’, referring to its early use. The adjective is from the noun (‘perfume, ointment,
anointing oil The holy anointing oil ( he, שמן המשחה, , "oil of anointing") formed an integral part of the ordination of the Priesthood (Ancient Israel), priesthood and the High Priest (Judaism), High Priest as well as in the consecration of the articl ...
’).


Description

All or nearly all species are dioecious. Knuth (1904) however cites a report of trees being male in their sex expression when young and female later.
Perianth The perianth (perigonium, perigon or perigone in monocots) is the non-reproductive part of the flower, and structure that forms an envelope surrounding the sexual organs, consisting of the calyx (sepals) and the corolla ( petals) or tepals when ...
of one whorl of three largely united segments. Stamens two to thirty, partly or wholly united. The ovary is superior, consisting of a single uniovulate carpel.Secondary Pollen Presentation. page 7. Peter Yeo 1993 Species in this genus use secondary pollen presentation (pollen presentation in the flower which does not use an anther), the type of which is (German for ‘pollen-heap’), where pollen is in an exposed heap at the base of the flower.


Selected species

There are 171 accepted ''Myristica'' species as of April 2021 according to Plants of the World Online. Selected species include: *'' Myristica alba'' *'' Myristica andamanica'' *'' Myristica arfakensis'' *''
Myristica argentea ''Myristica argentea'' is a tree that grows in the primary rain forests of New Guinea. It is occasionally a source of nutmeg, and it (or its seed) is called Macassar nutmeg, Papua(n) nutmeg, long nutmeg or silver nutmeg. ''M. malabarica'' is use ...
'' *'' Myristica atrescens'' *'' Myristica basilanica'' *'' Myristica brachypoda'' *'' Myristica brevistipes'' *'' Myristica buchneriana'' *'' Myristica byssacea'' *''
Myristica ceylanica ''Myristica ceylanica'' is a species of plant in the family Myristicaceae. It is endemic to Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-st ...
'' *'' Myristica cinnamomea'' *'' Myristica coacta'' *''
Myristica colinridsdalei ''Myristica colinridsdalei'' is a species of plant in the family Myristicaceae. It is endemic to the Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, link ...
'' *''
Myristica conspersa ''Myristica conspersa'' is a species of plant in the family Myristicaceae. It is endemic to West Papua (Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacifi ...
'' *'' Myristica corticata'' *'' Myristica crassa'' *'' Myristica dactyloides'' *'' Myristica dasycarpa'' *'' Myristica depressa'' *'' Myristica devogelii'' *'' Myristica elliptica'' *'' Myristica extensa'' *'' Myristica fasciculata'' *'' Myristica filipes'' *'' Myristica fissurata'' *'' Myristica flavovirens'' *''
Myristica fragrans ''Myristica fragrans'' is an evergreen tree indigenous to the Maluku Islands of Indonesia. It is important as the main source of the spices nutmeg and mace. It is widely grown across the tropics including Guangdong and Yunnan in China, Taiwan, ...
'' *'' Myristica frugifera'' *'' Myristica gigantea'' *'' Myristica gillespieana'' *'' Myristica globosa'' *'' Myristica grandifolia'' *'' Myristica guadalcanalensis'' *'' Myristica guatteriifolia'' *'' Myristica guillauminiana'' *'' Myristica hollrungii'' *'' Myristica inaequalis'' *'' Myristica incredibilis'' *'' Myristica iners'' *'' Myristica inundata'' *'' Myristica kalkmanii'' *'' Myristica kjellbergii'' *'' Myristica lasiocarpa'' *'' Myristica lepidota'' *'' Myristica leptophylla'' *'' Myristica lowiana'' *'' Myristica macrantha'' *'' Myristica magnifica'' *'' Myristica maingayi'' *''
Myristica malabarica ''Myristica malabarica'' is a species of plant in the family Myristicaceae. It is endemic to the Western Ghats in southwest India. It is threatened by habitat loss according to the IUCN Red List. It can reach up to 25 m long and its bark is ...
'' *'' Myristica maxima'' *'' Myristica mediterranea'' *'' Myristica millepunctata'' *'' Myristica nana'' *'' Myristica olivacea'' *'' Myristica ornata'' *'' Myristica ovicarpa'' *'' Myristica pachycarpidia'' *'' Myristica papillatifolia'' *'' Myristica perlaevis'' *'' Myristica petiolata'' *'' Myristica philippensis'' *'' Myristica pilosella'' *'' Myristica pilosigemma'' *'' Myristica psilocarpa'' *'' Myristica pubicarpa'' *'' Myristica pygmaea'' *'' Myristica robusta'' *'' Myristica sangowoensis'' *'' Myristica sarcantha'' *'' Myristica schlechteri'' *'' Myristica simulans'' *'' Myristica sinclairii'' *'' Myristica sogeriensis'' *'' Myristica tamrauensis'' *'' Myristica trianthera'' *'' Myristica tubiflora'' *'' Myristica ultrabasica'' *'' Myristica verruculosa'' *'' Myristica xylocarpa'' *'' Myristica yunnanensis'' Some species of ''Myristica'' have been reclassified into the genus ''
Virola ''Virola'' is a genus of medium-sized trees native to the South American rainforest and closely related to other Myristicaceae, such as nutmeg. Species are known commonly as ''epená'', ''patricá'', or ''cumala''. They have glossy, dark green le ...
'' by some botanical authorities. Taxa that have been reassigned, or otherwise removed from the genus include: * ''M. ampliata'' * ''M. irya'' * ''M. polyantha'' * ''M. succadanea'' * ''M. teijsmannii''


References

* * {{Taxonbar, from=Q1878350 Myristicaceae genera