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Nutmeg family
Myristicaceae R.Br.
ニクズク科
A family of evergreen trees growing in tropical rainforests. Approximately 20 genera and 500 species are known, distributed across tropical Asia, Africa, and the Americas. Best known for producing nutmeg (Myristica fragrans), with the seed aril used as the spice mace.
Key Characteristics
- ●Evergreen trees containing essential oils
- ●Perianth of 3 fused, tubular tepals
- ●Mostly dioecious
- ●Seeds large, enclosed in a red, reticulate aril
- ●Some species exude red sap ('blood trees') when cut
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
Entire
Growth form
Tree
Evergreen/Deciduous
Evergreen
Leaf dissection
Undivided
Stipules
Absent
Latex
Present
Aromatic
Aromatic / None
Petal count
3 petals
Ovary position
Superior
Stamen count
1-2
Plant sex
Dioecious / Monoecious
Phylogenetic Position
Angiosperms > Magnoliids > Magnoliales > Myristicaceae
Divergence Era
Early to mid-Cretaceous (ca. 110 million years ago)
Representative Genera
Related Evolution Events
- ・Emergence in the Early Cretaceous as an early-diverging lineage of magnoliids
- ・Acquisition of seed dispersal by birds and mammals via red arils
- ・Development of insect and herbivore defense through essential oil compounds (myristicin, etc.)
Plants in Nutmeg family on this site
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