Myrsinaceae

views updated

Myrsinaceae A family of trees and shrubs that have alternate, simple, leathery leaves with no stipules and often with resin ducts or glands. The flowers are regular, small, and bisexual, or if unisexual then dioecious. They are held in clusters on short shoots in the leaf axils, or in terminal cymes or panicles. There are 4–6 sepals and petals which may be united at the base, forming a lobed corolla. The stamens are opposite the corolla lobes and of the same number. The ovary is superior with a few locules. The fruit is a fleshy drupe and the seed has a thick endosperm. There are two subfamilies, about 39 genera, with 1250 species. The family is widely distributed in tropical and subtropical regions of Africa, Asia, Australia, and America.