Myrtaceae, the myrtle family, is a family of dicotyledonous plants placed within the order Myrtales. Myrtle, pōhutukawa, bay rum tree, clove, guava, acca (feijoa), allspice, and eucalyptus are some notable members of this group. All species are woody, contain essential oils, and have flower parts in multiples of four or five. The leaves are evergreen, alternate to mostly opposite, simple, and usually entire. The flowers have a base number of five petals, though in several genera, the petals are minute or absent. The stamens are usually very conspicuous, brightly coloured, and numerous.
Metrosideros is a genus of approximately 60 trees, shrubs, and vines mostly found in the Pacific region in the family Myrtaceae. Most of the tree forms are small, but some are exceptionally large, the New Zealand species in particular. The name derives from the Ancient Greek metra or "heartwood" and sideron or "iron". Perhaps the best-known species are the pohutukawa, northern and southern rātā of New Zealand, and ʻōhiʻa lehua, from the Hawaiian Islands.
The Portulacaceae are a family of flowering plants, comprising 115 species in a single genus Portulaca. Formerly some 20 genera with about 500 species, were placed there, but it is now restricted to encompass only one genus, the other genera being placed elsewhere. The family has been recognised by most taxonomists, and is also known as the purslane family. It has a cosmopolitan distribution, with the highest diversity in semiarid regions of the Southern Hemisphere in Africa, Australia, and South America, but with a few species also extending north into Arctic regions. The family is very similar to the Caryophyllaceae, differing in the calyx, which has only two sepals.
Myrceugenia is a genus of evergreen woody flowering trees and shrubs belonging to the myrtle family, Myrtaceae, first described as a genus in 1855. The genus is native to South America from central Brazil to southern Chile. It is closely related to the genus Luma; some botanists include Myrceugenia in that genus.
Eugenia is a genus of flowering plants in the myrtle family Myrtaceae. It has a worldwide, although highly uneven, distribution in tropical and subtropical regions. The bulk of the approximately 1,100 species occur in the New World tropics, especially in the northern Andes, the Caribbean, and the Atlantic Forest of eastern Brazil. Other centers of diversity include New Caledonia and Madagascar. Many of the species that occur in the Old World have received a new classification into the genus Syzygium.
Luma is a genus of flowering plants in the myrtle family Myrtaceae, described as a genus in 1853. It is native to the Valdivian temperate rain forests of Chile and Argentina.
Ugni is a genus of plants in the myrtle family Myrtaceae, described as a genus in 1848. It is native to western Latin America from the Valdivian temperate rain forests of southern Chile and adjacent regions of southern Argentina, north to southern Mexico.
Myrcia is a genus of plants in the family Myrtaceae, containing about 765 species as of 2022. They are distributed in Central and South America, Mexico, and the Caribbean, with centers of diversity in the Brazilian Cerrado and Atlantic Forests ecoregions. Myrcia was first described as a genus in 1827.
Amomyrtella is a genus of flowering plants in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae, first described as a genus in 1956. It is native to South America, where it is distributed from Ecuador to Argentina.
- Amomyrtella guilii(Speg.) Kausel, Ark. - S Bolivia, NW Argentina
- Amomyrtella irregularis(McVaugh) Landrum & Morocho - Loja Province in Ecuador
Des Murs's wiretail is a small passerine bird of southern South America which belongs to the ovenbird family Furnariidae. Molecular phylogenetics places it within the Synallaxinae and indicates that the genus diverged from the Leptasthenura about 14-15 million years ago.
Temu cruckshanksii is a species of flowering plant in the family Myrtaceae. It is endemic to central and southern Chile. It is threatened by habitat loss.
Myrciaria plinioides, commonly known as camboim, cambuim, or cambuí, is a species of plant in the family Myrtaceae. It is a shrub that is endemic to Rio Grande do Sul in the south of Brazil.
Myrciaria silveirana is a species of plant in the family Myrtaceae. It is endemic to Brazil.
Metrosideros stipularis is a species of the myrtle family commonly known as tepú, trepú, or tepual. It is an evergreen tree or shrub that can attain a height of about seven metres. The plant is native to southern South America in the southern portions of Chile and Argentina and is a typical resident of very wet areas, especially peat bogs. Tepú has white flowers that emerge during the austral summer from January through March. The tree's wood is used within its range as a firewood due to it high energy content. This species has often been placed in its own genus Tepualia, but recent works include it in Metrosideros.
Curitiba prismatica is a species of tree in the family Myrtaceae. It is only species in the genus Curitiba, the species was originally described as Eugenia prismatica by D. Legrand in 1969 and moved to its own genus by Andrew M. Salywon and Leslie Roger Landrum in 2007. In Portuguese the species goes by the common names Cambuí, Guamirim, Mureira, and Murta. The species is listed as vulnerable by the ICUN.
Amomyrtus luma, known as luma, is a species of tree in the family Myrtaceae. It is native to Chile and Argentina. It grows from Colchagua to Aysen. This species occurs in rainforests, near streams, and in other moist sites.
Amomyrtus meli, known as meli, is a species of tree in the family Myrtaceae. It is endemic to Chile and grows from Arauco to Chiloe. It grows mostly on moist and shaded sites.
Legrandia is a genus of the plant family Myrtaceae, first described as a genus in 1944. It contains only one known species, Legrandia concinna, endemic to the Republic of Chile in South America.
Myrteae is the largest tribe in the plant family Myrtaceae. It includes most of the species of the family that have fleshy fruits.
Escallonia rubra, called redclaws and red escallonia, is a species in the family Escalloniaceae which is native to southern Chile and neighboring areas of Argentina.
