|
The Myristicaceae are a family of flowering plants. The family is present in Europe, Asia, and the Americas and has been recognised by most taxonomists. It is sometimes called the "nutmeg family", after its most famous member, ''Myristica fragrans'', the source of the spices nutmeg and mace. The best known genera are ''Myristica'' and ''Virola''. The family consists of about 20 genera, with about 440 species of trees and shrubs found in tropical areas across the world. Most of the species are large trees that are valued in the timber industry. They are native to in Brazil, Colombia, Peru, Venezuela, the Caribbean, Guianas, India, Malaysia, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and Sri Lanka. ==Description== They are typically trees with coloured sap (typically red) and essential oils as irritant or toxic defense mechanisms that repel or poison many herbivorous organisms. The wood is pink to reddish due to the coloring of the sap. When cut, the tree trunk exudes a red or yellow resin. The foliage is generally aromatic and the leaves are glossy, dark green, simple, evergreen, and leathery. The flowers are usually small and feature either only three petals or no petals at all. The flowers cluster and emit a pungent odor. The flowers are typically a greenish, whitish, or yellowish hue. The female flowers have no staminodes. The male flowers lack a gynoecium. The fruit is fleshy to non-fleshy (leathery), and contains a single seed. The fruits are typically quite large and, in almost all the species, the fruits break spontaneously when mature (dehiscent fruits). 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Myristicaceae」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|