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Myristicaceae

(Family)

Overview

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Myristicaceae is the for a family of flowering plants. The family has been recognised by most taxonomists; it is sometimes called the "nutmeg family", after its most famous member, Nutmeg (Myristica fragrans).

The APG II system, of 2003 (unchanged from the APG system, of 1998), also recognizes this family, and assigns it to the order Magnoliales in the clade magnoliids.

The family consists of about twenty genera, with several hundred species, of trees and shrubs, found in tropical areas across the world. The best known genera are Myristica and Virola.

Photos

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Taxonomy

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The Family Myristicaceae is further organized into finer groupings including:

Genera

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Aruana

Arowanas, also known as aruanas or arawanas are bony fish of the family Osteoglossidae, sometimes known as "bony tongues." In this family of fishes, the head is bony and the elongate body is covered by large, heavy scales, with a mosaic pattern of canals. The dorsal and the anal fins have soft rays and are long based, while the pectoral and ventral fins are small. The name 'bony tongues' is derived from a toothed bone on the floor of the mouth, the 'tongue', equipped with teeth that bite against teeth on the roof of the mouth. The fish can obtain oxygen from air by sucking it into the swim bladder, which is lined with capillaries like lung tissue. The arapaima is an "obligatory air breather". [more]

Bicuiba

Bicuiba is a genus of in family Myristicaceae. It contains the following species (but this list may be incomplete): [more]

Brocchoneura

[more]

Brochoneura

[more]

Cephalosphaera

Cephalosphaera is a genus of in family Myristicaceae. It contains the following species (but this list may be incomplete): [more]

Coelocaryon

[more]

Compsoneura

[more]

Dialyanthera

[more]

Doyleanthus

[more]

Endocomia

[more]

Gymnacranthera

Gymnacranthera is a genus of in family Myristicaceae. It contains the following species (but this list may be incomplete): [more]

Haematodendron

[more]

Horsfieldia

Horsfieldia is a name of plant genus native to South East Asia. [more]

Iryanthera

Iryanthera is a genus of in family Myristicaceae. It contains the following species (but this list may be incomplete): [more]

Jryaghedi

[more]

Knema

Knema is a genus of in family Myristicaceae. It contains the following species (but this list may be incomplete): [more]

Maloutchia

[more]

Mauloutchia

[more]

Myristica

The nutmegs Myristica are a of evergreen trees indigenous to tropical southeast Asia and Australasia. They are important for two spices derived from the fruit, nutmeg and mace. [more]

Ochocoa

[more]

Osteophloem

[more]

Osteophloeum

[more]

Otoba

Otoba is a genus of in family Myristicaceae. It contains the following species (but this list may be incomplete): [more]

Palala

Palala is a town in , Liberia. [more]

Paramyristica

[more]

Pycnanthus

A Genus in the Kingdom Animalia. [more]

Pyrrhosa

[more]

Scyphocephalium

[more]

Staudtia

Staudtia is a genus of in family Myristicaceae. It contains the following species (but this list may be incomplete): [more]

Thespesocarpus

[more]

Virola

Virola, also known as Epená, is a genus of medium-sized native to the South American rainforest and closely related to other Myristicaceae, such as nutmeg. It has glossy, dark green leaves with clusters of tiny yellow flowers and emits a pungent odor. [more]

At least 93 species and subspecies belong to the Genus Virola.

More info about the Genus Virola may be found here.

Sources

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Last Revised: November 19, 2008