''Drimys'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

of about eight species of woody

evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has foliage that remains green and functional through more than one growing season. This also pertains to plants that retain their foliage only in warm climates, and contrasts with deciduous plants, whic ...

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants t ...

s, in the family

Winteraceae Winteraceae is a primitive family of tropical trees and shrubs including 93 species in five genera. It is of particular interest because it is such a primitive angiosperm family, distantly related to Magnoliaceae, though it has a much more s ...

. The species are native to the

Neotropic The Neotropical realm is one of the eight biogeographic realms constituting Earth's land surface. Physically, it includes the tropical terrestrial ecoregions of the Americas and the entire South American temperate zone. Definition In ...

s, ranging from southern

Mexico Mexico (Spanish language, Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a List of sovereign states, country in the southern portion of North America. It is borders of Mexico, bordered to the north by the United States; to the so ...

to the southern tip of

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the sou ...

. They are primitive

dicot The dicotyledons, also known as dicots (or, more rarely, dicotyls), are one of the two groups into which all the flowering plants (angiosperms) were formerly divided. The name refers to one of the typical characteristics of the group: namely, ...

s, associated with the humid temperate

Antarctic flora Antarctic flora are a distinct community of vascular plants which evolved millions of years ago on the supercontinent of Gondwana. Presently, species of Antarctica flora reside on several now separated areas of the Southern Hemisphere, includin ...

of the Southern Hemisphere, which evolved millions of years ago on the ancient supercontinent of

Gondwana Gondwana () was a large landmass, often referred to as a supercontinent, that formed during the late Neoproterozoic (about 550 million years ago) and began to break up during the Jurassic period (about 180 million years ago). The final sta ...

. Members of the family generally have aromatic bark and leaves, and some are used to extract

essential oil An essential oil is a concentrated hydrophobic liquid containing volatile (easily evaporated at normal temperatures) chemical compounds from plants. Essential oils are also known as volatile oils, ethereal oils, aetheroleum, or simply as the o ...

s. ;Accepted species Seven species are currently accepted.''Drimys'' J.R.Forst. & G.Forst.
''Plants of the World Online'', Kew Science. Accessed 24 April 2022. *''

Drimys andina ''Drimys andina'' is a species of flowering plant in family Winteraceae. It is native to Chile and Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of Sout ...

'' ( Reiche) R.A.Rodr. & Quez. (syn. ''D. winteri'' var. ''andina'') - southern and central

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the eas ...

and adjacent

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest ...

*'' Drimys angustifolia'' Miers - southern

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

*''

Drimys brasiliensis ''Drimys brasiliensis'' is a broadleaf evergreen tree of family Winteraceae. it is native to Atlantic Forest of eastern Brazil, western Paraguay, and northwestern Argentina, and to Bolivia.Miers - eastern and southern

, northeastern

Paraguay Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to t ...

, and

Bolivia , image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg , flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center , flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...

*''

Drimys confertifolia ''Drimys confertifolia'' is a species of flowering plant in family Winteraceae. It is native to Juan Fernández Islands off the western coast of South America. Description ''Drimys confertifolia'' is an evergreen tree or large shrub, growing up ...

Phil. Rodolfo Amando (or Rudolph Amandus) Philippi (14 September 1808 – 23 July 1904) was a German–Chilean paleontologist and zoologist. Philippi contributed primarily to malacology and paleontology. His grandson, Rodulfo Amando Philippi Bañados ...

Juan Fernández Islands The Juan Fernández Islands ( es, Archipiélago Juan Fernández) are a sparsely inhabited series of islands in the South Pacific Ocean reliant on tourism and fishing. Situated off the coast of Chile, they are composed of three main volcanic ...

*''

Drimys granadensis ''Drimys granadensis'' is a broadleaf evergreen tree of family Winteraceae. it is native to tropical montane forests from Peru to southern Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern ...

'' L.f. - southern

south to

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = National seal , national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...

*''

Drimys roraimensis ''Drimys roraimensis'' is a broadleaf evergreen tree of family Winteraceae. it is native to the tepuis, flat-topped mountains in southern Venezuela and western Guyana. Range and habitat ''Drimys roraimensis'' is endemic to montane cloud forests ...

'' (A.C.Sm.) Ehrend., Silberb.-Gottsb. & Gottsb. - southern

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

and northern Brazil, possibly western Guyana *'' Drimys winteri''

J.R.Forst. Johann Reinhold Forster (22 October 1729 – 9 December 1798) was a German Continental Reformed church, Reformed (Calvinist) pastor and natural history, naturalist of partially Scottish descent who made contributions to the early ornithology of ...

G.Forst. Johann George Adam Forster, also known as Georg Forster (, 27 November 1754 – 10 January 1794), was a German naturalist, ethnologist, travel writer, journalist and revolutionary. At an early age, he accompanied his father, Johann Reinhold F ...

- southern and central Chile, southwestern Argentina ''D. confertifolia'' is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...

to the Juan Fernández Islands, 670 km off the Chilean coast, where it forms a dominant tree in the tall lowland forests and lower montane forests of the islands. The genus formerly included a number of species from

Australasia Australasia is a region that comprises Australia, New Zealand and some neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term is used in a number of different contexts, including geopolitically, physiogeographically, philologically, and ecologic ...

, including Tasmanian pepper ''(D. lanceolata)''. Recent botanical studies have led to a growing consensus of botanists to split the genus into two, with the Neotropical species remaining in genus ''Drimys'', and the Australasian species classified in genus ''

Tasmannia ''Tasmannia'' is a genus of woody, evergreen flowering plants of the family Winteraceae. The 40 species of ''Tasmannia'' are native to Australia, New Guinea, Sulawesi, Borneo, and the Philippines. The Winteraceae are magnoliids, and are associat ...

''.Doust, Andrew N. and Drinnan, Andrew N. 2004. Floral development and molecular phylogeny support the generic status of Tasmannia (Winteraceae). ''American Journal of Botany'' 91: 321-331, availabl
online
(pdf).

References

External links

{{Taxonbar, from=Q749412 Winteraceae Canellales genera Neotropical realm flora