''Myrsine'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family

Primulaceae The Primulaceae ( ), commonly known as the primrose family (but not related to the Onagraceae, evening primrose family), are a family (biology), family of Herbaceous plant, herbaceous and woody flowering plants including some favourite garden pla ...

. It was formerly placed in the family

Myrsinaceae Myrsinoideae is a subfamily of the family Primulaceae in the order Ericales. It was formerly recognized as the family Myrsinaceae, or the myrsine family, consisting of 35 genera and about 1000 species. It is widespread in temperate to tropical c ...

before this was merged into the Primulaceae. It is found nearly worldwide, primarily in

tropical The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the equator, where the sun may shine directly overhead. This contrasts with the temperate or polar regions of Earth, where the Sun can never be directly overhead. This is because of Earth's ax ...

and

subtropical The subtropical zones or subtropics are geographical zone, geographical and Köppen climate classification, climate zones immediately to the Northern Hemisphere, north and Southern Hemisphere, south of the tropics. Geographically part of the Ge ...

areas. It contains over 280 species, including several notable radiations, such as the matipo of

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

and the kōlea of

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...

(the New Zealand "black matipo", '' Pittosporum tenuifolium'', is not related to ''Myrsine''). In the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, members of this genus are known as colicwood. Some species, especially '' M. africana'', are grown as ornamental shrubs. The leathery,

evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has Leaf, foliage that remains green and functional throughout the year. This contrasts with deciduous plants, which lose their foliage completely during the winter or dry season. Consisting of many diffe ...

leaves are simple and alternate, with smooth or toothed margins and without

stipule In botany, a stipule is an outgrowth typically borne on both sides (sometimes on just one side) of the base of a leafstalk (the petiole (botany), petiole). They are primarily found among dicots and rare among monocots. Stipules are considered part ...

s. The one-seeded,

indehiscent Dehiscence is the splitting of a mature plant structure along a built-in line of weakness to release its contents. This is common among fruits, anthers and sporangia. Sometimes this involves the complete detachment of a part. Structures that ...

fruit is a thin-fleshed globose

drupe In botany, a drupe (or stone fruit) is a type of fruit in which an outer fleshy part (exocarp, or skin, and mesocarp, or flesh) surrounds a single shell (the ''pip'' (UK), ''pit'' (US), ''stone'', or ''pyrena'') of hardened endocarp with a seed ...

. The flowers and fruits often do not develop until after leaf fall and thus appear naked on the branches. The fruits often do not mature until the year after flowering. The calyx is persistent. The Pacific basin and New World species formerly separated in the genera ''Rapanea'' and ''Suttonia'' (distinguished from the

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

n and

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and northwest of the Mainland Au ...

n ''Myrsine sensu stricto'' by having the

style Style, or styles may refer to: Film and television * ''Style'' (2001 film), a Hindi film starring Sharman Joshi, Riya Sen, Sahil Khan and Shilpi Mudgal * ''Style'' (2002 film), a Tamil drama film * ''Style'' (2004 film), a Burmese film * '' ...

absent and staminal tube and filaments completely adnate to the corolla) are now generally included in ''Myrsine''.

Species

282 species are currently accepted.

Hawaiian species

an native species include: * ''

Myrsine degeneri ''Myrsine degeneri'', the summit colicwood, is a species of plant in the family Primulaceae. It is endemic to the island of Oahu in Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about s ...

'' (

Oahu Oahu (, , sometimes written Oahu) is the third-largest and most populated island of the Hawaiian Islands and of the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital, Honolulu, is on Oahu's southeast coast. The island of Oahu and the uninhabited Northwe ...

in Hawaii) * ''

Myrsine denticulata ''Myrsine'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Primulaceae. It was formerly placed in the family Myrsinaceae before this was merged into the Primulaceae. It is found nearly worldwide, primarily in tropical and subtropical areas. It con ...

'' (Kauai) * ''

Myrsine fernseei ''Myrsine fernseei'', the streambank colicwood, is a species of plant in the family Primulaceae. It is endemic to the Hawaiian Islands. It is threatened by habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss or habitat reduction) occ ...

'' (Mez) Hosaka (

Kauai Kauai (), anglicized as Kauai ( or ), is one of the main Hawaiian Islands. It has an area of 562.3 square miles (1,456.4 km2), making it the fourth-largest of the islands and the 21st-largest island in the United States. Kauai lies 73 m ...

in Hawaii) * ''

Myrsine fosbergii ''Myrsine fosbergii'', the Koolau Range colicwood, is a species of plant in the family Primulaceae. It is endemic to the Hawaiian Islands. It is threatened by habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss or habitat reduction) ...

'' Hosaka (

and Kauai in Hawaii) * ''

Myrsine helleri ''Myrsine'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Primulaceae. It was formerly placed in the family Myrsinaceae before this was merged into the Primulaceae. It is found nearly worldwide, primarily in tropical and subtropical areas. It con ...

'' * ''

Myrsine juddii ''Myrsine juddii'' is a rare species of flowering plant in the primrose family known by the common name cloudswept colicwood. It is endemic to Hawaii, where it is known only from the Koolau Mountains of Oahu. There is a single population made up ...

'' * ''

Myrsine kauaiensis ''Myrsine'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Primulaceae. It was formerly placed in the family Myrsinaceae before this was merged into the Primulaceae. It is found nearly worldwide, primarily in tropical and subtropical areas. It con ...

'' * ''

Myrsine knudsenii ''Myrsine knudsenii'', the Kokee colicwood, is a species of tree in the primrose family. It is endemic to the island of Kauai in Hawaii. It is threatened by habitat loss. This is a shrub or tree growing up to 4.5 meters tall with flowers occurr ...

'' (Rock) Hosaka (Kauai in Hawaii) * ''

Myrsine lanaiensis ''Myrsine'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Primulaceae. It was formerly placed in the family Myrsinaceae before this was merged into the Primulaceae. It is found nearly worldwide, primarily in tropical and subtropical areas. It con ...

'' * ''

Myrsine lessertiana ''Myrsine lessertiana'', the , is a species of colicwood endemic to the U.S. state of Hawaii in the family Primulaceae. It inhabits Hawaiian tropical dry, coastal mesic, mixed mesic, and wet forests at elevations of on the main Hawaiian isl ...

'' A.DC. – ''Kōlea lau nui'' (

) * '' Myrsine linearifolia'' * '' Myrsine mezii'' Hosaka (

in Hawaii) * '' Myrsine petiolata'' Hosaka (

in Hawaii) * '' Myrsine pukooensis'' * '' Myrsine punctata'' * '' Myrsine sandwicensis'' A.DC. – ''Kōlea lau lii'' (Hawaii) * '' Myrsine vaccinioides'' * '' Myrsine wawrae''

Other selected species

* '' Myrsine adamsonii'' Fosberg &

Sachet Although its most usual definition is that listed under "packet" (see link above), a sachet can also mean a small scented cloth bag filled with herb Herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables, wit ...

(

French Polynesia French Polynesia ( ; ; ) is an overseas collectivity of France and its sole #Governance, overseas country. It comprises 121 geographically dispersed islands and atolls stretching over more than in the Pacific Ocean, South Pacific Ocean. The t ...

) * ''

Myrsine africana ''Myrsine africana'', also called Cape myrtle, African boxwood or thakisa, is a species of shrub in the family Primulaceae. It is indigenous to Southern and Eastern Africa, the Azores, the Arabian Peninsula, South Asia and East Asia. Descripti ...

'' L. (

, Southern

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

Azores The Azores ( , , ; , ), officially the Autonomous Region of the Azores (), is one of the two autonomous regions of Portugal (along with Madeira). It is an archipelago composed of nine volcanic islands in the Macaronesia region of the North Atl ...

) * '' Myrsine andersonii'' Fosbert & Sachet (French Polynesia) * '' Myrsine aquilonia'' de Lange & Heenan (North Island of New Zealand) * '' Myrsine argentea'' Heenan & de Lange (South Island of New Zealand) * '' Myrsine australis'' – Red matipo, ''mapou'' (New Zealand) * '' Myrsine borneensis'' (Borneo) * '' Myrsine brownii'' Fosbert & Sachet (French Polynesia) * '' Myrsine bullata'' Pipoly (

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

) * '' Myrsine ceylanica'' (Mez) Wadhwa (Sri Lanka) * '' Myrsine cheesemanii'' (Mez) Hemsl. ex Prain (Cook Islands) * '' Myrsine collina'' Nadeaud (

Society Islands The Society Islands ( , officially ; ) are an archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean that includes the major islands of Tahiti, Mo'orea, Moorea, Raiatea, Bora Bora and Huahine. Politically, they are part of French Polynesia, an overseas country ...

) * '' Myrsine cubana'' (Caribbean, Central America, southern Mexico, and Florida) * '' Myrsine diazii'' Pipoly (

) * '' Myrsine divaricata'' Cunn (New Zealand) * '' Myrsine falcata'' Nadeaud (French Polynesia) * '' Myrsine fasciculata'' (J.Moore) Fosberg & Sachet (French Polynesia) * '' Myrsine fusca'' (J.Moore) Fosberg & Sachet (French Polynesia) * '' Myrsine gracilissima'' Fosberg & Sachet (French Polynesia) * '' Myrsine hartii'' (M.L.Grant) Fosberg & Sachet (Society Islands) * '' Myrsine hosakae'' H.St.John (

Pitcairn Islands The Pitcairn Islands ( ; Pitkern: '), officially Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie and Oeno Islands, are a group of four volcanic islands in the southern Pacific Ocean that form the sole British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory in the ...

) * '' Myrsine howittiana'' (

F.Muell. Baron Sir Ferdinand Jacob Heinrich von Mueller, (; 30 June 1825 – 10 October 1896) was a German-Australian physician, geographer, and most notably, a botanist. He was appointed government botanist for the then colony of Victoria (state), Vic ...

ex Mez) Jackes (Eastern Australia) * '' Myrsine juergensenii'' (Mexico and Central America) * '' Myrsine kermadecensis'' Cheeseman (Kermadec Islands) * '' Myrsine laetevirens'' (Mez) Arechav. (subtropical South America) * '' Myrsine longifolia'' (Tahiti) * '' Myrsine mccomishii'' (Lord Howe Island) * '' Myrsine melanophloeos'' (sub-Saharan Africa) * '' Myrsine myrtillina'' (Lord Howe Island) * '' Myrsine naiuensis'' Fosberg & Sachet (French Polynesia) * '' Myrsine nukuhivensis'' Fosberg & Sachet (French Polynesia) * '' Myrsine obovata'' (J.Moore) Fosberg & Sachet (French Polynesia) * '' Myrsine oliveri'' Allan (New Zealand) * '' Myrsine orohenensis'' (J.Moore) Fosberg & Sachet (French Polynesia) * '' Myrsine pearcei'' (Mez) Pipoly (Peru) * '' Myrsine perakensis'' (Peninsular Malaysia) * '' Myrsine platystigma'' (Lord Howe Island) * '' Myrsine raiateensis'' (J.Moore) Fosberg & Sachet (French Polynesia) * '' Myrsine rapensis'' (F.Brown) Fosberg & Sachet (French Polynesia) * '' Myrsine reynelii'' Pipoly (Peru) * '' Myrsine richmondensis'' Jackes (Australia) * '' Myrsine rivularis'' (Mez) Pipoly (Peru) * '' Myrsine ronuiensis'' (M.Grant) Fosberg & Sachet (French Polynesia) * '' Myrsine salicina'' (New Zealand) * '' Myrsine seychellarum'' (Seychelles) * '' Myrsine sodiroana'' (Mez) Pipoly (

Ecuador Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. It also includes the Galápagos Province which contain ...

) * '' Myrsine striata'' (southwestern India) * '' Myrsine tahuatensis'' Fosbert & Sachet (French Polynesia) * '' Myrsine umbricola'' Heenan & de Lange (North Island of New Zealand) * ''

Myrsine variabilis ''Myrsine variabilis'', Synonym (taxonomy), synonym ''Rapanea variabilis'', known as the muttonwood or variable muttonwood is a tree of eastern Australia. The range of natural distribution is from near Milton, New South Wales, Milton (35° S) in ...

'' R.Br. (eastern Australia)

References

Ngā Tipu Aotearoa
– Most recent taxonomy (only of NZ species).
Flora of New Zealand

External links

* * {{Taxonbar, from=Q159796 Primulaceae genera Pantropical flora