''Myristica'' is a genus of trees in the family
Myristicaceae
The Myristicaceae are a 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, '' Myristica fragr ...
. There are over 150 species, distributed in
Asia
Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...
and the western Pacific as far as
Vanuatu
Vanuatu ( or ; ), officially the Republic of Vanuatu (; ), is an island country in Melanesia located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is east of northern Australia, northeast of New Caledonia, east o ...
.
The type species of the genus, and the most economically important member, is ''
Myristica fragrans'' (the
nutmeg
Nutmeg is the seed, or the ground spice derived from the seed, of several tree species of the genus '' Myristica''; fragrant nutmeg or true nutmeg ('' M. fragrans'') is a dark-leaved evergreen tree cultivated for two spices derived from its fru ...
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
μύρον ''myron'' (‘perfume, ointment,
anointing oil’).
Description
All or nearly all species are
dioecious
Dioecy ( ; ; adj. dioecious, ) is a characteristic of certain species that have distinct unisexual individuals, each producing either male or female gametes, either directly (in animals) or indirectly (in seed plants). Dioecious reproduction is ...
. 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. It is a structure that forms an envelope surrounding the sexual organs, consisting of the calyx (sepals) and the corolla (petals) or tepal ...
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 172 accepted ''Myristica'' species as of April 2021 according to
Plants of the World Online
Plants of the World Online (POWO) is an online taxonomic database published by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
History
Following the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew launched Plants of the World Online i ...
.
Selected species include:
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Myristica alba''
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Myristica andamanica''
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Myristica arfakensis''
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Myristica argentea''
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Myristica atrescens''
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Myristica basilanica''
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Myristica beddomei''
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Myristica brachypoda''
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Myristica brevistipes''
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Myristica buchneriana''
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Myristica byssacea''
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Myristica ceylanica''
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Myristica cinnamomea''
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Myristica coacta''
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Myristica colinridsdalei''
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Myristica conspersa''
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Myristica corticata''
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Myristica crassa''
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Myristica dactyloides''
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Myristica dasycarpa''
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Myristica depressa''
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Myristica devogelii''
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Myristica elliptica''
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Myristica extensa''
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Myristica fasciculata''
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Myristica filipes''
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Myristica fissurata''
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Myristica flavovirens''
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Myristica fragrans''
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Myristica frugifera''
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Myristica gigantea''
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Myristica gillespieana''
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Myristica globosa''
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Myristica grandifolia''
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Myristica guadalcanalensis''
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Myristica guatteriifolia''
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Myristica guillauminiana''
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Myristica hollrungii''
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Myristica inaequalis''
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Myristica incredibilis''
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Myristica iners''
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Myristica inundata''
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Myristica kalkmanii''
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Myristica kjellbergii''
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Myristica lasiocarpa''
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Myristica lepidota''
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Myristica leptophylla''
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Myristica lowiana''
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Myristica macrantha''
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Myristica magnifica''
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Myristica maingayi''
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Myristica malabarica''
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Myristica maxima''
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Myristica mediterranea''
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Myristica millepunctata''
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Myristica nana''
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Myristica olivacea''
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Myristica ornata''
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Myristica ovicarpa''
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Myristica pachycarpidia''
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Myristica papillatifolia''
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Myristica perlaevis''
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Myristica petiolata''
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Myristica philippensis''
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Myristica pilosella''
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Myristica pilosigemma''
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Myristica psilocarpa''
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Myristica pubicarpa''
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Myristica pygmaea''
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Myristica robusta''
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Myristica sangowoensis''
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Myristica sarcantha''
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Myristica schlechteri''
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Myristica simulans''
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Myristica sinclairii''
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Myristica sogeriensis''
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Myristica tamrauensis''
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Myristica trianthera''
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Myristica tubiflora''
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Myristica ultrabasica''
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Myristica verruculosa''
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Myristica xylocarpa''
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Myristica yunnanensis''
Some species of ''Myristica'' have been reclassified into the genus ''
Virola'' by some botanical authorities.
Taxa that have been reassigned, or otherwise removed from the genus include:
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''M. ampliata''
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''M. irya''
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''M. polyantha''
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''M. succadanea''
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''M. teijsmannii''
References
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{{Authority control
Myristicaceae genera