Myristicaceae

Abstract

Evergreen, rarely deciduous, often aromatic trees, seldom shrubs; dioecious, rarely monoecious. Leaves alternate, often distichous, sometime falsely whorled, occasionally with pellucid punctation, exstipulate; blades simple, entire. Hairs uniseriate, ramified, often stellate, or T-shaped. Inflorescences paniculate or fasciculate-racemose or sometimes apparently di-chasial (mostly in branching of the first order), axillary, rarely terminal; bracts mostly caducous; bracteoles present or not. Flowers small, actinomorphic, funnel-shaped, campanulate, or urceolate, yellowish-white, yellow, pink, or red, sometimes scented. Perianth uniseriate of (2−)3(−5) basally fused, often car-nose, valvate tepals. Male flowers with 2–40 stamens, their filaments partially or completely fused; anthers often united with the oblong, roundish, or claviform filamentous column, rarely free, muticous, or shortly apiculate, tetrasporangiate; the pollen sacs often septated, extrorse, seldom latrorse, opening with longitudinal slits. Female flowers monocarpellate; ovary superior, sessile or sometimes short stipitate; style distinct or absent; stigma ± bilobed; ovule one, sub-basal to basal; anatropous, rarely orthotropus or he-miorthotropous, bitegmic. Fruit a fleshy to coriacous, or ligneous capsule, opening at ventral and dorsal side. Seed-coat ligneous, covered mostly with a crustaceous to fleshy, laciniate, or entire aril. Endosperm often ruminate; embryo small.