Myrsine

Cape myrtle Myrsine africana, copyright A. Barra.

Belongs within: Primulales.

Myrsine is a widespread genus of trees and shrubs with simple leathery leaves; flowers and fruits often do not develop until after leaves are shed and so appear naked on the branches (Allan 1961).

Characters (from Allan 1961). Flowers 4–5-merous, perfect to unisexual, usually in cymose fascicles, sometimes solitary. Sepals free or connate towards base; petals free or partly connate. Staminal filaments obsolete to evident, free or more or less adnate to petals; anthers dorsifixed. Style obsolete to evident; stigma capitate. Ovary superior; fruit a one-seeded globose drupe; fruits often not maturing until year after flowering. Calyx and style long-persistent.

<==Myrsine Linnaeus 1753 A61
    |--*M. africana A61 [incl. M. retusa C55b]
    |--M. acrantha J87
    |--M. australis (Rich.) Allan 1947 A61 (see below for synonymy)
    |--M. chathamica Muell. 1864 [=Rapanea chathamica (Muell.) Oliver 1951, Suttonia chathamica (Muell.) Mez 1902] A61
    |--M. coriacea JS87
    |--M. coxii Cockayne 1902 [=Rapanea coxii (Cockayne) Oliver 1951, Suttonia coxii Cockayne 1903] A61
    |--M. dependens C55a
    |--M. divaricata Cunn. 1839 A61 (see below for synonymy)
    |--M. kermadecensis Cheesem. 1892 (see below for synonymy) A61
    |--M. kimberleyensis LK14
    |--M. magnoliifolia J87
    |--M. montana Hooker 1864 (see below for synonymy) A61
    |--M. nubicola J87
    |--M. nummularia Hooker 1864 [=Suttonia nummularia Hooker 1854, Rapanea nummularia (Hooker) Oliver 1951] A61
    |--M. oliveri Allan 1961 (see below for synonymy) A61
    |--M. rapanea C55a
    |--M. salicina Heward ex Hooker 1864 [=Suttonia salicina Hooker 1844, Rapanea salicina (Hooker) Mez 1902] A61
    |--M. semiserrata D07
    `--M. variabilis H87

Myrsine australis (Rich.) Allan 1947 A61 [=Suttonia australis Rich. 1832 A61, Rapanea australis (Rich.) Oliver 1951 A61; incl. M. richardiana Endl. 1836 A61, M. urvillei DC. 1834 A61, Rapanea urvillei C06]

Myrsine divaricata Cunn. 1839 A61 [=Rapanea divaricata (Cunn.) Oliver 1951 A61, Suttonia divaricata (Cunn.) Hook. f. 1844 A61; incl. M. pendula Colenso 1889 C06]

Myrsine kermadecensis Cheesem. 1892 [=Rapanea kermadecensis (Cheesem.) Mez 1902, Suttonia kermadecensis Cheesem. 1925] A61

Myrsine montana Hooker 1864 [=Suttonia divaricata var. montana Hooker 1854, Rapanea montana (Hooker) Oliver 1951; incl. Myrsine neo-zealandensis Colenso 1890, Suttonia novo-zelandensis (Colenso) Mez 1902] A61

Myrsine oliveri Allan 1961 [=Suttonia dentata Oliver 1948 non M. dentata Spreng. 1828, Rapanea dentata Oliver 1951] A61

*Type species of generic name indicated

REFERENCES

[A61] Allan, H. H. 1961. Flora of New Zealand vol. 1. Indigenous Tracheophyta: Psilopsida, Lycopsida, Filicopsida, Gymnospermae, Dicotyledones. R. E. Owen, Government Printer: Wellington (New Zealand).

[C55a] Candolle, A. de. 1855a. Géographie Botanique Raisonée: Ou exposition des faits principaux et des lois concernant la distribution géographique des plantes de l’époque actuelle vol. 1. Librairie de Victor Masson: Paris.

[C55b] Candolle, A. de. 1855b. Géographie Botanique Raisonée: Ou exposition des faits principaux et des lois concernant la distribution géographique des plantes de l’époque actuelle vol. 2. Librairie de Victor Masson: Paris.

[C06] Cheeseman, T. F. 1906. Manual of the New Zealand Flora. John Mackay, Government Printer: Wellington.

[D07] Dash, S. S. 2007. Useful plants of Kabi Sacred Grove, Sikkim. Bulletin of the Botanical Survey of India 49: 79–88.

[H87] Haviland, E. 1887. Flowering seasons of Australian plants. No. II. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales, series 2, 1 (4): 1103–1104.

[J87] Judd, W. S. 1987. Floristic study of Morne La Visite and Pic Macaya National Parks, Haiti. Bulletin of the Florida State Museum—Biological Sciences 32 (1): 1–136.

[JS87] Judd, W. S., & J. D. Skean Jr. 1987. Three new angiosperms from Parc National Pic Macaya, Massif de la Hotte, Haiti. Bulletin of the Florida State Museum—Biological Sciences 32 (1): 137–150.

[LK14] Lyons, M. N., G. J. Keighery, L. A. Gibson & T. Handasyde. 2014. Flora and vegetation communities of selected islands off the Kimberley coast of Western Australia. Records of the Western Australian Museum Supplement 81: 205–244.