View source for Myrica

{{Treatment/ID
|accepted_name=Myrica
|accepted_authority=Linnaeus
|publications={{Treatment/Publication
|title=Sp. Pl.
|place=2: 1024. 175
}}, {{Treatment/Publication
|title=Gen. Pl. ed.
|place=5, 449. 1754
|year=1754
}}
|common_names=Wax-myrtle;bayberry;sweet gale;myrique
|basionyms=
|synonyms={{Treatment/ID/Synonym
|name=Cerothamnus
|authority=Tidestrom
|rank=genus
}} {{Treatment/ID/Synonym
|name=Gale
|authority=Duhamel
|rank=genus
}} {{Treatment/ID/Synonym
|name=Morella
|authority=Loureiro
|rank=genus
}}
|hierarchy=Myricaceae;Myrica
|hierarchy_nav=<div class="higher-taxa"><div class="higher-taxon"><small>family</small>[[Myricaceae]]</div><div class="higher-taxon"><small>genus</small>[[Myrica]]</div></div>
|etymology=Greek my for tamarisk or another aromatic shrub; possibly from myrizein, to perfume
|volume=Volume 3
|mention_page=
|treatment_page=
}}<!--

--><span class="statement" id="st-undefined" data-properties=""><b>Shrubs </b>or small trees, often aromatic and resinous. <b>Branches</b> spreading, terete, glabrous or pubescent, often gland-dotted. <b>Leaves</b> persistent or deciduous; stipules absent. <b>Leaf</b> blade aromatic when crushed (except <i>M. inodora</i>), oblanceolate, elliptic, obovate, or oblong-ovate, membranous or leathery, margins entire or serrate-denticulate, especially in distal 1/2, pubescent or glabrous, usually gland-dotted. <b>Inflorescences</b> ± erect, ellipsoid to short-cylindric or ovoid, appearing before or with leaves; bracts ovate, glabrous or variously pubescent. <b>Flowers</b> unisexual, rarely bisexual, staminate and pistillate flowers usually on different plants, infrequently on same plants. <b>Staminate</b> flowers: stamens (2-)3-12(-22), shorter or longer than subtending bract; filaments mostly distinct, often connate into branching staminal column, each branch terminated by anther; rudimentary ovary occasionally present. <b>Pistillate</b> flowers: ovary subtended by 2-6 broadly ovate bracteoles, these sometimes persistent and accrescent, always shorter than fruit, sometimes completely absent; styles short. <b>Fruits</b> globose or ovoid to lenticular, smooth or more commonly with warty protuberances, usually covered with waxy coating that dries white. <b>x</b> = 8.</span><!--

-->{{Treatment/Body
|distribution=Nearly worldwide.
|discussion=<p>Species ca. 50 (7 in the flora).</p><!--
--><p><i>Myrica</i> is often cultivated. <i>Myrica</i> species were used by various tribes of Native Americans for medicinal purposes. Leaves were used for a gynecological aid and an emetic; the bark, as a blood purifier and a kidney aid (D. E. Moerman 1986). Bayberry candles were used by early settlers, and they remain popular household items, both decorative and functional.</p>
|tables=
|references={{Treatment/Reference
|id=davey1917a
|text=Davey, A. J. and C. M. Gibson. 1917. Note on the distribution of sexes in Myrica gale. New Phytol. 16: 147-151.
}}{{Treatment/Reference
|id=donald1977a
|text=MacDonald, A. D. 1977. Myricaceae: Floral hypothesis for Gale and Comptonia. Canad. J. Bot. 55: 2636-2651.
}}{{Treatment/Reference
|id=houghton1988a
|text=Houghton, W. M. 1988. The Systematics of Section Cerophora of the Genus Myrica (Myricaceae) in North America. M.S. thesis. University of Georgia.
}}{{Treatment/Reference
|id=macdonald1973a
|text=MacDonald, A. D. and R. Sattler. 1973. Floral development of Myrica gale and the controversy over floral concepts. Canad. J. Bot. 51: 1965-1975.
}}{{Treatment/Reference
|id=thieret1966a
|text=Thieret, J. W. 1966. Habit variation in Myrica pensylvanica and M. cerifera. Castanea 31: 183-185.
}}
}}<!--

--><div class="treatment-key">
==Key==
<div class="treatment-key-group">
  
{| class="wikitable fna-keytable"
|-id=key-0-1
|1
|Bracts of staminate flowers longer than stamens; bracteoles of pistillate flowers 2, accrescent and adnate to fruit; fruits smooth (without protuberances), lacking waxy deposit (subg. Myrica).
|[[#key-0-2| > 2]]
|-id=key-0-1
|1
|Bracts of staminate flowers shorter than stamens; bracteoles of pistillate flowers 4–6, not accrescent or adnate to fruit; fruits with numerous protuberances, usually covered with waxy coating that dries white or blue-white to gray (subg. Morella Loureiro).
|[[#key-0-3| > 3]]
|-id=key-0-2
|2
|Bracteoles of pistillate flowers glabrous; leaf margins serrate, usually minutely so, with 1–4 pairs of teeth restricted to distal 1/3 of blade; not extending s of Oregon in w part of range.
|[[Myrica gale|Myrica gale]]
|-id=key-0-2
|2
|Bracteoles of pistillate flowers densely pilose, especially at apex; leaf margins serrate, often coarsely so, with 4–12 pairs of teeth ± in distal 1/2 of blade; California only.
|[[Myrica hartwegii|Myrica hartwegii]]
|-id=key-0-3
|3
|Staminate flowers with 6 or more stamens, rarely 2–3, especially in distal flowers; fruit wall, but not warty protuberances, pubescent.
|[[#key-0-4| > 4]]
|-id=key-0-3
|3
|Staminate flowers with 3–5(–7) stamens; fruit wall usually glabrous, if pubescent, warty protuberances also pubescent.
|[[#key-0-5| > 5]]
|-id=key-0-4
|4
|Margins of leaf blade entire, rarely serrate at apex; blade not aromatic when crushed; flowers unisexual, staminate and pistillate on different plants; restricted to Gulf Coast region.
|[[Myrica inodora|Myrica inodora]]
|-id=key-0-4
|4
|Margins of leaf blade conspicuously serrate almost their entire length; blade fragrant when crushed; flowers bisexual, staminate, and pistillate, all on same plant; Pacific Coast region.
|[[Myrica californica|Myrica californica]]
|-id=key-0-5
|5
|Leaf blade densely glandular on both surfaces.
|[[Myrica cerifera|Myrica cerifera]]
|-id=key-0-5
|5
|Leaf blade densely glandular only abaxially.
|[[#key-0-6| > 6]]
|-id=key-0-6
|6
|Fruit wall and warty protuberances densely hirsute when young; branches whitish gray in age; leaves deciduous, membranous; fruits 3.5–5.5 mm.
|[[Myrica pensylvanica|Myrica pensylvanica]]
|-id=key-0-6
|6
|Fruit wall glabrous or sparsely glandular, warty protuberances ± glandular; branches black; leaves persistent or tardily deciduous, leathery; fruits 3–4.5 mm.
|[[Myrica heterophylla|Myrica heterophylla]]
|}
</div></div><!--

-->{{#Taxon:
name=Myrica
|authority=Linnaeus
|rank=genus
|parent rank=family
|synonyms=Cerothamnus;Gale;Morella
|basionyms=
|family=Myricaceae
|distribution=Nearly worldwide.
|reference=davey1917a;donald1977a;houghton1988a;macdonald1973a;thieret1966a
|publication title=Sp. Pl.;Gen. Pl. ed.
|publication year=;1754
|special status=
|source xml=https://jpend@bitbucket.org/aafc-mbb/fna-data-curation.git/src/f50eec43f223ca0e34566be0b046453a0960e173/coarse_grained_fna_xml/V3/V3_138.xml
|genus=Myrica
}}<!--

-->[[Category:Treatment]][[Category:Myricaceae]]