Aromatic trees or shrubs, resinous. Roots usualy with nitrogen-fixing bacteria. 55 speacies in 3 genera: Canacomyrica, Comptonia, Myrica.
Distribution
Temperate to tropical, most of temperate Eurasia and Australasia. Very widespread, but lacking in North Africa, Australia and some warm old world regions.
Floral characters
Plants monoecious, or andromonoecious (hermaphrodite and male flowers on the same plant) or dioecious or androdioecious (hermaphrodite and male flowers on separate plants) -Small and inconspicious - Bisexual or unisexual and monoecius - Flowers aggregated in simple or compound spikes, often catkin-like - inflorescences axillary -bracteolate, males usually 2 bracteoles, females 2-4 - perianth is absent (except in monotypic Canacomyrica), but bracteoles may look like a perianth in female flower - Androecium: (2-) 4 (-6) stamens, free or coherent - Gynoecium: 2 Carpels, 1celld pistil, syncarpous, usually superior, 2 Styles, free to partially joined, apical - Embryo-sac development Polygonum-type Canacomyrica in New Caledonia has a differend flower structure.They have bisexual instead of femail flowers. 6 stamens which are connated to a circlet below the ovary.
Leaf characters
v Evergreen or decidous, petiolate with pinnate venation Alternate to subopposite, spiral (often with 2/5 phyllotaxy) Usually exstipulate, Stipules only in Comptonia Lamina mostly entire, in Comptonia dissected pinnatifid Somata mainly abaxial and anomocytic Hairs present: eglandular and glandular, unicellular and multicellular complex hairs present, mostly with characteristic, peltate glands secreting aromatic, waxy material Minor leaf veins without phloem transfer cells (Myrica).
Stipules
present in Comptonia
Fruit characters
Fruit fleshy to non-fleshy, a drupe, sometimes almost a nut, with waxy covering. Seed scantily endospermic or non-endospermic. Placentation is basal. Straight well differentiated Embryo, 2Cotyledons Capsules sometimes enveloped by persistent, accrescent bracteoles which form a burr-like cupule in Comptonia, and which in Gale develop only late into a pair of floats which fall with the fruit
Glands
present
Hairs
present
Latex
absent
Odor
aromatical wax
Uses
Myrica species are the source of aromatic wax (from the fruits, used to make bayberry candles), of edible fruit and of tannic acid. The waxy layer on the outside of the fruits is used to scent and make bayberry candles.
Chemical characters
Nitrogen-fixing root nodules present (usually) or absent (Canacomyrica). Not cyanogenic. Alkaloids absent (6 species). Iridoids not detected. Proanthocyanidins present; cyanidin and delphinidin. Flavonols present: kaempferol, quercetin and myricetin. Ellagic acid present (Myrica).
Distribution maps
(online von http://www.mobot.org/MOBOT/research/APweb/ . Dort zitiert wie unter jedem Diagramm vermerkt):
