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.

Zimbabwe: 2 cultivated genera and 2 cultivated taxa.

No image of a cultivated species but there is an image of a native or naturalised species

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

GenusContent
Ardisia Sw.Description
Embelia Burm. f.Description, Image

Other sources of information about Myrsinaceae:

Our websites:

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

External websites:

African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Myrsinaceae
BHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library): Myrsinaceae
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Myrsinaceae
GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility): Myrsinaceae
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
iNaturalist: Myrsinaceae
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Myrsinaceae
JSTOR Plant Science: Myrsinaceae
Mansfeld World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops: Myrsinaceae
Wikipedia: Myrsinaceae
Plants of the World Online: Myrsinaceae
Tropicos: Myrsinaceae



Copyright: Mark Hyde, Bart Wursten, Petra Ballings and Meg Coates Palgrave, 2002-24

Hyde, M.A., Wursten, B.T., Ballings, P. & Coates Palgrave, M. (2024). Flora of Zimbabwe: Cultivated plants: Family page: Myrsinaceae.
https://www.zimbabweflora.co.zw/cult/family.php?family_id=147, retrieved 29 March 2024

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