Foliage of the New Caledonian species Meryta denhamii

Meryta is a genus in the flowering plant family Araliaceae. There are 27 species in the genus, all small, resinous trees of the subtropical and tropical Pacific Ocean, characterized by huge, simple leaves and a dioecious sexual system, a unique combination in Araliaceae. Meryta has its center of diversity in New Caledonia (11 endemic spp.). Phylogenetic analyses have placed Meryta in one of the three major clades of the Araliaciae, the Polyscias-Pseudopanax group, and more specifically in the Pacific Schefflera subclade. Binomial name Meryta sinclairii (Hook. ... Scientific classification or biological classification is a method by which biologists group and categorize species of organisms. ... Divisions Green algae land plants (embryophytes) non-vascular embryophytes Hepatophyta - liverworts Anthocerophyta - hornworts Bryophyta - mosses vascular plants (tracheophytes) seedless vascular plants Lycopodiophyta - clubmosses Equisetophyta - horsetails Pteridophyta - true ferns Psilotophyta - whisk ferns Ophioglossophyta - adderstongue ferns seed plants (spermatophytes) †Pteridospermatophyta - seed ferns Pinophyta - conifers Cycadophyta - cycads Ginkgophyta - ginkgo Gnetophyta - gnetae Magnoliophyta... It has been suggested that Angiospermae, and Anthophyta be merged into this article or section. ... Magnoliopsida is the botanical name for a class: this name is formed by replacing the termination -aceae in the name Magnoliaceae by the termination -opsida (Art 16 of the ICBN). ... Families Apiaceae (carrot family) Araliaceae (ginseng family) Pittosporaceae Griseliniaceae Torriceliaceae The Apiales are an order of flowering plants. ... Genera Aralia Fatsia Hedera - Ivy Panax - Ginseng Reynoldsia Schefflera and others, see text of article The Araliaceae is known as the Ivy or Ginseng family. ... Tribes Aralieae The subfamily Aralioideae contains 49 recognized genera [1]. These include the Panax genus, to which ginseng belongs. ... Johann Reinhold Forster Johann Reinhold Forster (October 22, 1729 - December 9, 1798) was a German naturalist of Scottish descent. ... Image:Georg Forster masterbator. ... In scientific nomenclature, synonyms are different scientific names used for a single taxon. ... Stephan Ladislaus Endlicher (24 June 1804 - 28 March 1849; botanical abbreviation Endl. ... It has been suggested that Angiospermae, and Anthophyta be merged into this article or section. ... Genera Aralia Fatsia Hedera - Ivy Panax - Ginseng Reynoldsia Schefflera and others, see text of article The Araliaceae is known as the Ivy or Ginseng family. ...

Cultivation

Cultivation of Meryta species is possible in tropical or subtropical climates. They are valued for their dramatic foliage and tolerance of coastal conditions. Species encountered in cultivation include M. denhamii and M. sonchifolia, native to New Caledonia, and M. latifolia, native to Norfolk Island. Possibly the hardiest species is M.sinclairii, which occurs naturally on small islands between latitudes 34 and 36 South in New Zealand. Even this species is very intolerant of frost when young, however. Binomial name Meryta sinclairii (Hook. ...