The Myrtaceae or Myrtle family are a family of dicotyledonplants, placed within the order Myrtales. Myrtle, clove, guava, feijoa, allspice, and eucalyptus belong here. The plants are mostly woody, with essential oils, and most flower parts in multiples of five. The most distinctive feature of the family is that phloem is found in the pith inside the xylem as well as outside of it, not just outside as in all other plants.
The family Myrtaceae has approximately 3000 species in 130 genera. They have a wide distribution in warm-climate regions of the world, with the greatest concentration of species in Australasia and the Neotropic. Eucalyptus is the predominant tree genus in most of Australia, and the Mountain Ash (Eucalyptus regnans) is the tallest flowering plant in the world. Other important Australian genera are Callistemon (bottlebrush) and Melaleuca (paperbark and Australian Tea Tree).
The genera Heteropyxis and Psiloxylon, which some authorities include in Myrtaceae, are here placed as separate families, based on evidence of their divergence before the origin of the common ancestor of the Myrtaceae.
The Myrtaceae or Myrtle family are a family of dicotyledonplants, placed within the order Myrtales.
The division of the Myrtaceae into the Leptospermoideae and Myrtoideae was challenged by a number of authors, including Johnson and Briggs (1984), who identified 14 tribes or clades within the Myrtaceae, and found the Myrtoideae to be polyphyletic.
The genera Heteropyxis and Psiloxylon, which some authorities include in Myrtaceae, are here placed as separate families, based on evidence of their divergence before the origin of the common ancestor of the Myrtaceae.
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