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Bayberry family
Myricaceae
ヤマモモ科
A small family of evergreen to deciduous shrubs and trees including bayberry (Morella rubra). Known for nitrogen fixation through symbiosis with actinobacteria (Frankia), enabling growth on poor soils. Drupe-like fruits are sometimes covered with a waxy coating.
Key Characteristics
- ●Frankia actinobacteria form root nodule symbiosis for nitrogen fixation
- ●Leaves are alternate, often aromatic
- ●Flowers are unisexual, lacking perianth, in small catkin-like inflorescences
- ●Fruits are drupes or pseudofruits, sometimes with waxy granules on the surface
Morphological Traits
A family may include species with different trait values — multiple values indicate the range within the family.
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf type
Simple
Venation
Pinnate
Leaf margin
Serrate / Dentate / Entire
Growth form
Shrub / Tree
Evergreen/Deciduous
Evergreen / Deciduous
Leaf dissection
Dissected / Undivided
Stipules
Present / Absent
Aromatic
Aromatic
Petal fusion
Free / Fused
Ovary position
Superior / Half-inferior
Plant sex
Dioecious / Monoecious
Phylogenetic Position
Angiosperms > Eudicots > Core eudicots > Fagales > Myricaceae
Divergence Era
Paleogene (about 60–50 million years ago)
Representative Genera
Related Evolution Events
- ・Acquisition of nitrogen fixation through coevolution with Frankia actinobacteria
- ・Early divergence within Fagales
Plants in Bayberry family on this site
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