''Myrsine'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family

Primulaceae The Primulaceae , commonly known as the primrose family (but not related to the evening primrose family), are a family of herbaceous and woody flowering plants including some favourite garden plants and wildflowers. Most are perennial though som ...

. It was formerly placed in the family

Myrsinaceae Myrsinoideae is a subfamily of the family Primulaceae in the order Ericales. It was formerly recognized as the family Myrsinaceae, or the myrsine family, consisting of 35 genera and about 1000 species. It is widespread in temperate to tropical ...

before this was merged into the Primulaceae. It is found nearly worldwide, primarily in

tropical The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the Equator. They are defined in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the Northern Hemisphere at N and the Tropic of Capricorn in the Southern Hemisphere at S. The tropics are also referred to ...

and subtropical areas. It contains about 200 species, including several notable radiations, such as the matipo of

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

and the kōlea of

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only state ...

(the New Zealand "black matipo", ''

Pittosporum tenuifolium ''Pittosporum tenuifolium'' is a small evergreen tree endemic to New Zealand – up to – commonly known as and black matipo, and by other Māori names and . Its small, very dark, reddish-purple flowers generally go unnoticed, and are scented ...

'', is not related to ''Myrsine''). In the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

, members of this genus are known as colicwood. Some species, especially '' M. africana'', are grown as ornamental shrubs. The leathery,

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 ...

leaves are simple and alternate, with smooth or toothed margins and without

stipule In botany, a stipule is an outgrowth typically borne on both sides (sometimes on just one side) of the base of a leafstalk (the petiole). Stipules are considered part of the anatomy of the leaf of a typical flowering plant, although in many speci ...

s. The one-seeded,

indehiscent Dehiscence is the splitting of a mature plant structure along a built-in line of weakness to release its contents. This is common among fruits, anthers and sporangia. Sometimes this involves the complete detachment of a part; structures that op ...

fruit is a thin-fleshed globose drupe. The flowers and fruits often do not develop until after leaf fall and thus appear naked on the branches. The fruits often do not mature until the year after flowering. The calyx is persistent. The Pacific basin and New World species formerly separated in the genera ''

Rapanea ''Rapanea'' is a genus of plant in family Primulaceae. It has often been placed in synonymy with '' Myrsine'', and many species have been moved to ''Myrsine''. , Plants of the World Online does not accept the genus, regarding it as a synonym of ' ...

'' and ''Suttonia'' (distinguished from the

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

n and

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical south-eastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of mainlan ...

n ''Myrsine sensu stricto'' by having the

style Style is a manner of doing or presenting things and may refer to: * Architectural style, the features that make a building or structure historically identifiable * Design, the process of creating something * Fashion, a prevailing mode of clothing ...

absent and staminal tube and filaments completely adnate to the corolla) are now generally included in ''Myrsine''.

Hawaiian species

* '' Myrsine alyxifolia'' * '' Myrsine denticulata'' * '' Myrsine fernseei'' (Mez) Hosaka ( Kauai in Hawaii) * '' Myrsine helleri'' * '' Myrsine kauaiensis'' * '' Myrsine knudsenii'' (Rock) Hosaka (Kauai in Hawaii) * '' Myrsine linearifolia'' * '' Myrsine mezii'' Hosaka ( Kauai in Hawaii) * '' Myrsine petiolata'' Hosaka ( Kauai in Hawaii) * '' Myrsine wawraea'' * '' Myrsine lanaiensis'' * '' Myrsine lessertiana'' A.DC. – ''Kōlea lau nui'' (

) * '' Myrsine fosbergii'' Hosaka (

Oahu Oahu () ( Hawaiian: ''Oʻahu'' ()), also known as "The Gathering Place", is the third-largest of the Hawaiian Islands. It is home to roughly one million people—over two-thirds of the population of the U.S. state of Hawaii. The island of O� ...

and Kauai in Hawaii) * '' Myrsine punctata'' * '' Myrsine sandwicensis'' A.DC. – ''Kōlea lau lii'' (Hawaii) * '' Myrsine degeneri'' Hosaka (

in Hawaii) * '' Myrsine emarginata'' * '' Myrsine juddii'' * '' Myrsine pukooensis'' * '' Myrsine vaccinioides''

Other selected species

* '' Myrsine adamsonii'' Fosberg &

Sachet A sachet is a small scented cloth bag filled with herbs, potpourri, or aromatic ingredients.Oster, p. 54 A sachet is also a small porous bag or packet containing a material intended to interact with its atmosphere; for example, desiccants ...

( French Polynesia) * '' Myrsine africana'' (

, Southern

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

Azores ) , motto =( en, "Rather die free than subjected in peace") , anthem= ( en, "Anthem of the Azores") , image_map=Locator_map_of_Azores_in_EU.svg , map_alt=Location of the Azores within the European Union , map_caption=Location of the Azores wi ...

) * '' Myrsine andersonii'' Fosbert & Sachet (French Polynesia) * ''

Myrsine aquilonia ''Myrsine'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Primulaceae. It was formerly placed in the family Myrsinaceae before this was merged into the Primulaceae. It is found nearly worldwide, primarily in tropical and subtropical areas. It cont ...

'' * '' Myrsine argentea'' * ''

Myrsine australis ''Myrsine australis'', commonly known as ''māpou'', red matipo, ''tīpau'', and ''mataira'' is a species of shrub within the family Myrsinaceae. It is endemic to New Zealand, found throughout both the mainland and offshore islands. Description ...

'' – Red matipo, ''mapou'' (New Zealand) * '' Myrsine brachyclada'' * '' Myrsine brownii'' Fosbert & Sachet (French Polynesia) * '' Myrsine bullata'' Pipoly (

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 ...

) * '' Myrsine ceylanica'' (Mez) Wadhwa * '' Myrsine cheesemanii'' (Mez) Hemsl. ex Prain (Cook Islands) * '' Myrsine collina'' Nadeaud (

Society Islands The Society Islands (french: Îles de la Société, officially ''Archipel de la Société;'' ty, Tōtaiete mā) are an archipelago located in the South Pacific Ocean. Politically, they are part of French Polynesia, an overseas country of the ...

) * '' Myrsine diazii'' Pipoly (

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 ...

) * '' Myrsine divaricata'' Cunn (New Zealand) * '' Myrsine falcata'' Nadeaud (French Polynesia) * '' Myrsine fasciculata'' (J.Moore) Fosberg & Sachet (French Polynesia) * '' Myrsine fusca'' (J.Moore) Fosberg & Sachet (French Polynesia) * '' Myrsine gracilissima'' Fosberg & Sachet (French Polynesia) * '' Myrsine hartii'' * '' Myrsine hosakae'' H.St.John ( Pitcairn Islands) * ''

Myrsine howittiana ''Myrsine howittiana'', the brush muttonwood or muttonwood, is a shrub or small tree in the family Primulaceae. The species is endemic to eastern Australia. It grows to between 3 and 10 metres in height and has smooth, often whitish, bark. Th ...

'' (

F.Muell. Baron Sir Ferdinand Jacob Heinrich von Mueller, (german: Müller; 30 June 1825 – 10 October 1896) was a German-Australian physician, geographer, and most notably, a botanist. He was appointed government botanist for the then colony of Vic ...

ex Mez) Jackes (Eastern Australia) * '' Myrsine juddii'' * '' Myrsine juergensenii'' * '' Myrsine kermadecensis'' * '' Myrsine laetevirens'' (Mez) Arechav. * '' Myrsine niauensis'' Fosberg & Sachet (French Polynesia) * '' Myrsine nukuhivensis'' Fosberg & Sachet (French Polynesia) * '' Myrsine obovata'' (J.Moore) Fosberg & Sachet (French Polynesia) * '' Myrsine oliveri'' Allan (New Zealand) * '' Myrsine orohenensis'' (J.Moore) Fosberg & Sachet (French Polynesia) * '' Myrsine pearcei'' (Mez) Pipoly (Peru) * '' Myrsine raiateensis'' (J.Moore) Fosberg & Sachet (French Polynesia) * '' Myrsine rapensis'' (F.Brown) Fosberg & Sachet (French Polynesia) * '' Myrsine reynelii'' Pipoly (Peru) * ''

Myrsine richmondensis ''Myrsine richmondensis'', known as the ripple leaf muttonwood or purple-leaf muttonwood, is a very rare shrub of coastal areas of New South Wales; from Coraki on the Richmond River north to Mount Warning. Description A shrub to small tree t ...

'' Jackes (Australia) * '' Myrsine rivularis'' (Mez) Pipoly (Peru) * '' Myrsine ronuiensis'' (M.Grant) Fosberg & Sachet (French Polynesia) * '' Myrsine sodiroana'' (Mez) Pipoly (

Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ' ...

) * '' Myrsine tahuatensis'' Fosbert & Sachet (French Polynesia) * '' Myrsine umbricola'' * '' Myrsine variabilis''

References

Ngā Tipu Aotearoa
– Most recent taxonomy (only of NZ species).
Flora of New Zealand

External links

* * {{Taxonbar, from=Q159796 Primulaceae genera