Belongs within: Myrtaceae.
Contains: Eugenia.
The Myrteae are a clade within the family Myrtaceae containing taxa with fleshy fruits and radiating ovules. Many species, such as the feijoa Acca sellowiana and the strawberry myrtle Ugni molinae, are grown for their fruit. The common guava Psidium guajava is a native of the Neotropics that has become widely introduced to warmer regions around the world. The dried fruit of allspice Pimenta dioica are used as a flavouring agent. The true myrtle Myrtus communis is not known as a source of fruit but is grown for its aromatic flowers. Luma apiculata is a small, smooth-barked tree with a twisted growth habit, native to the Andes, that has become naturalised in some locations in Europe and North America as a result of cultivation.
Characters (Wilson et al. 2005): Trees, sometimes shrubs; hairs simple occasionally T-shaped. Leaves opposite. Inflorescences axillary, sometimes paniculate; perianth free or calyx calyptrate; stamens free, numerous; anthers versatile, dehiscing by longitudinal slits. Ovary inferior, mostly bi- or trilocular; placentas axile, ovules radiating, sometimes pendulous; vascular supply to ovary trans-septal. Fruit indehiscent, fleshy; seeds usually numerous; embryo variable, cotyledons small to leafy or thick.
<==Myrteae [Eugeniinae, Eugenioideae, Feijoinae, Myrciinae, Myrcioideae, Myrrhinieae, Myrrhiniinae, Pimentinae, Pimentoideae]WO05
|--+--Uromyrtus australisWO05
| |--DecaspermumWO05
| | |--D. fruticosum [incl. Myrtus vitiensis, Nelitris vitiensis]HM03
| | |--D. humileWO05
| | `--D. paniculatumRC02
| `--+--+--‘Rhodomyrtus’ macrocarpaWO05
| | |--Archirhodomyrtus beckleriWO05
| | `--Pilidiostigma papuanumWO05
| `--+--RhodomyrtusWO05
| | |--R. tomentosaWO05
| | `--R. trineuraB00
| `--RhodamniaWO05
| |--R. argenteaWO05
| |--R. blairianaWO95
| |--R. cinereaP88
| |--R. sessilifloraWO95
| |--R. rubescensB00
| `--R. trinerviaC16
| |--R. t. var. trinerviaRC02
| `--R. t. var. montanaRC02
`--+--MyrtusWO05
| |--M. communis Linnaeus 1753PL04
| `--M. nivelliiD17
`--+--MyrciariaWO05
| |--M. paraensisDS86
| `--M. vexatorWO05
|--+--EugeniaWO05
| `--Hexachlamys edulisWO05, F11
|--+--Blepharocalyx tweedieiWO05 [=Myrtus tweediiH01]
| `--Luma apiculataWO05 [=Eugenia apiculataH93]
|--+--Acca sellowianaWO05
| `--Lenwebbia prominensWO05
|--CalyptranthesWO05
| |--C. densifoliaJ87
| |--C. hotteanaJ87
| |--C. nummulariaJ87
| |--C. pallensWO05
| |--C. pitonianaJ87
| |--C. sintenisiiJ87
| `--C. ternifoliaJ87
|--PsidiumWO05
| |--P. cattleianumH06
| |--P. × durbanensisH06
| |--P. guajavaF11
| |--P. guineenseH06
| |--P. longipesWO05
| |--P. pomiferumC55
| `--P. pyriferumC55
`--+--Campomanesia guazumifoliaWO05
|--Ugni molinaeWO05
`--PimentaWO05
|--P. acrisT-W89
|--P. dioicaH93
|--P. officinalisT-W89
|--P. racemosaWO05
`--P. vulgarisT-W89
Myrteae incertae sedis:
AccaraWO05
AmomyrtellaWO05
AmomyrtusWO05
AustromyrtusWO05
CalycolpusWO05
CalycorectesWO05
ChamguavaWO05
Gomidesia lindenianaWO05, J87
GossiaWO05
Lophomyrtus Burret 1941WO05, A61
|--*L. bullata (Sol. ex Cunn.) Burret 1941 [=Myrtus bullata Sol. ex Cunn. 1839 non Salisb. 1796]A61
|--L. obcordata (Raoul) Burret 1941 [=Eugenia obcordata Raoul 1844, Myrtus obcordata (Raoul) Hook. f. 1852]A61
`--‘Myrtus’ × ralpii Hook. f. 1855 [Lophomyrtus bullata × L. obcordata]A61
MarliereaWO05
MeteoromyrtusWO05
MosieraWO05
Myrceugenia fernandezianaWO05, P-GR14
MyrciaWO05
|--M. deflexaSWK87
`--M. tiburonianaJ87
MyrcianthesWO05
|--M. ferreyraeOA02
`--M. pungensF11
Myrrhinium atropurpureumWO05, F11
MyrtastrumWO05
Myrteola nummulariaWO05, D03
MyrtellaWO05
NeomitranthesWO05
Neomyrtus Burret 1941WO05, A61
`--N. pendunculata (Hooker) Allan 1961 (see below for synonymy)A61
OctamyrtusWO05
PliniaWO05
SiphoneugenaWO05
StereocaryumWO05
Feijoa sellowianaH93
Neomyrtus pendunculata (Hooker) Allan 1961 [=Myrtus pedunculata Hooker 1844; incl. Eugenia vitis-idaea Raoul 1844, M. vitis-idaea (Raoul) Druce 1917, Neomyrtus vitis-idaea (Raoul) Burret 1941]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).
[B00] Braby, M. F. 2000. Butterflies of Australia: their identification, biology and distribution vol. 2. CSIRO Publishing: Collingwood (Victoria).
[C16] Cambage, R. H. 1916. Notes on the native flora of tropical Queensland. Journal and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales 49 (3): 389–447, pls 57–61.
[C55] Candolle, A. de. 1855. 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.
[D17] Diels, L. 1917. Beiträge zur Flora der Zentral-Sahara und ihrer Pflanzengeographie. Nach der Sammelausbeute des Freiherrn Hans Geyr von Schweppenburg. Botanische Jahrbücher für Systematik, Pflanzengeschichte und Pflanzengeographie 54 (Beiblatt 120): 51–155.
[DS86] Dixon, J. R., & P. Soini. 1986. The Reptiles of the Upper Amazon Basin, Iquitos Region, Peru. Milwaukee Public Museum: Milwaukee.
[D03] Dusén, P. 1903. The vegetation of western Patagonia. In: Scott, W. B. (ed.) Reports of the Princeton University Expeditions to Patagonia, 1896–1899 vol. 8. Botany pp. 1–34. The University: Princeton (New Jersey).
[F11] Fraga, R. M. 2011. Family Icteridae (New World blackbirds). In: Hoyo, J. del, A. Elliott & D. A. Christie (eds) Handbook of the Birds of the World vol. 16. Tanagers to New World Blackbirds pp. 684–807. Lynx Edicions: Barcelona.
[H01] Hempel, A. 1901. Descriptions of Brazilian Coccidae (continued). Annals and Magazine of Natural History, series 7, 7: 206–219.
[H06] Henderson, L. 2006. Comparisons of invasive plants in southern Africa originating from southern temperate, northern temperate and tropical regions. Bothalia 36 (2): 201–222.
[H93] Hickman, J. C. (ed.) 1993. The Jepson Manual: Higher Plants of California. University of California Press: Berkeley (California).
[HM03] Holloway, J. D., & S. E. Miller. 2003. The composition, generic placement and host-plant relationships of the joviana-group in the Parallelia generic complex (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae, Catocalinae). Invertebrate Systematics 17: 111–128.
[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.
[OA02] Ochoa, J. A., & L. E. Acosta. 2002. Orobothriurus atiquipa, a new bothriurid species (Scorpiones) from Lomas in southern Peru. Journal of Arachnology 30: 98–103.
[P-GR14] Pérez-González, A., M. J. Ramírez, E. M. Soto & J. Pizarro-Araya. 2014. First harvestman record for the Juan Fernández Archipelago, Chile, with morphological notes on Acropsopilio chilensis (Opiliones: Caddidae: Acropsopilioninae). Zootaxa 3852 (3): 347–358.
[PL04] Pohl, G., & I. Lenski. 2004. Zur Verbreitung und Vergesellschaftung von Pennisetum orientale Rich. in Nordeuböa (Griechenland) (Poaceae, Paniceae). Senckenbergiana Biologica 83 (2): 209–223.
[P88] Polunin, I. 1988. Plants and Flowers of Malaysia. Times Editions: Singapore.
[RC02] Ridley, H. N., & C. Curtis. 1902. Malay plant names. Journal of the Straits Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society 38: 39–122.
[SWK87] Snyder, N. F. R., J. W. Wiley & C. B. Kepler. 1987. The Parrots of Luquillo: Natural history and conservation of the Puerto Rican parrot. Western Foundation of Vertebrate Zoology: Los Angeles.
[T-W89] Tenison-Woods, J. E. 1889. On the vegetation of Malaysia. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales, series 2, 4 (1): 9–106, pls 1–9.
[WO95] Walter, D. E., & D. J. O’Dowd. 1995. Beneath biodiversity: factors influencing the diversity and abundance of canopy mites. Selbyana 16 (1): 12–20.
[WO05] Wilson, P. G., M. M. O’Brien, M. M. Heslewood & C. J. Quinn. 2005. Relationships within Myrtaceae sensu lato based on a matK phylogeny. Plant Systematics and Evolution 251: 3–19.