| TREATMENT FROM THE JEPSON MANUAL (1993) |
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©Copyright 1993 by the Regents of the University of California
For up-to-date information about California vascular plants, visit the Jepson eFlora. |
AND IS MAINTAINED FOR ARCHIVAL PURPOSES ONLY |
Shrubs, trees, aromatic, evergreen or deciduous, generally monoecious or dioecious, generally with nitrogen-fixing bacteria in roots
Leaves simple, alternate, entire to pinnately lobed, resin-dotted; stipules generally 0
Inflorescence: spike, axillary, catkin-like; staminate and pistillate spikes separate
Flower generally unisexual, small; perianth 0
Staminate flower generally subtended by 2 bractlets
Pistillate flower subtended by 2–4 bractlets; ovary superior, chamber 1, ovule 1, style 1, stigmas 2, short
Fruit: generally drupe or nut, small, rough, waxy, sometimes winged or bur-like from fused bractlets
Genera in family: 3 genera, ± 50 species: generally temp, subtropical. Comptonia of e North America, Canacomyrica of New Caledonia each have 1 sp. Fr of some Myrica are boiled to produce fragrant wax.
Shrubs, small trees, monoecious or dioecious (flowers all unisexual)
Leaf ± spicy-scented; blade unlobed, distal half generally ± sharply serrate
Fruit generally ± spheric, sometimes compressed
Species in genus: ± 48 species: temp, subtropical
Etymology: (Greek: old name for a fragrant shrub)