Family:
Myrtaceae Juss.

Myrtus Tourn. ex L.

This genus is accepted, and its native range is Macaronesia to Pakistan.

[FZ]

Myrtaceae, F. White. Flora Zambesiaca 4. 1978

Note
M. communis L., the “Myrtle”, is grown as a garden shrub or hedge plant in Zambia and Rhodesia.
Morphology General Habit
It is an aromatic evergreen shrub with glossy, dark green foliage; the small, ligid, lanceolate leaves end in a horny point; the flowers are small, white, solitary and axillary. A medium-sized genus with c. 100 species, mostly in the tropics and subtropics, though none is indigenous to tropical Africa.

Doubtfully present in:

India

Native to:

Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Azores, Baleares, Canary Is., Chad, Corse, Cyprus, East Aegean Is., Eritrea, Ethiopia, France, Greece, Iran, Iraq, Italy, Kriti, Lebanon-Syria, Libya, Madeira, Morocco, Pakistan, Palestine, Portugal, Sardegna, Sicilia, Spain, Tunisia, Turkey, Yemen, Yugoslavia

Introduced into:

California, Cape Provinces, Cuba, Leeward Is., Louisiana, Puerto Rico, Texas, Windward Is.

Myrtus Tourn. ex L. appears in other Kew resources:

First published in Sp. Pl.: 471 (1753)

Accepted by

  • Govaerts, R. (2003). World Checklist of Selected Plant Families Database in ACCESS: 1-216203. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  • Govaerts, R., Sobral, N., Ashton, P., Barrie, F., Holst, B.K., Landrum, L.L., Matsumoto, K., Fernanda Mazine, F., Nic Lughadha, E., Proença, C. & al. (2008). World Checklist of Myrtaceae: 1-455. Kew Publishing, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Literature

Flora Zambesiaca

  • Gen. Pl., ed. 5: 212 (1754).
  • Sp. Pl. 1: 471 (1753)

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