Myristicaceae of the Neotropics

    The Myristicaceae consist of 19 genera and more than 500 species of woody flowering plants from tropical moist forests of the Americas, Africa, Madagascar, India, and Asia. Despite their ecological and economic importance, our knowledge and understanding of the taxonomy, systematics, and evolution of the Myristicaceae is poor. Studies from the last few decades have resulted in the description of new genera and species, and discoveries about the systematics and biology of this interesting family of ancestral flowering plants. Research Botanist Dr. John Janovec has been focused on herbarium, field, and laboratory investigations of the Myristicaceae of the Neotropics with an aim to produce a systematic monograph of the five genera and roughly 250 species that occur in the region. Current work includes the description of a new genus and the completion of a monograph of Compsoneura, a genus distributed from southern Mexico to Bolivia.    Additional work for 2011 will include a revision of the checklist of Myristicaceae of Colombia and a treatment of the Myristicaceae for Flora Mesoamerica.  Difficulties involved in the extraction and amplification of Myristicaceae DNA have hindered the phylogenetic studies of the Myristicaceae over the last decade.  However, recent collaboration with Royce Steeves, Steve Newmaster, and Aron Fazekas of Guelph University have concluded with the completion of phylogenetic reconstruction of neotropical Myristicaceae that will be included in the monograph and associated papers during 2011-2012.

     

    		 An interesing note about many Myristicaceae species: when the bark is cut, a blood red latex is exuded. 
       
    Here we see the brilliant red aril surrounding the seed within the fruit of Iryanthera juruensis. The color of the aril and its wax-like texture are thought to assist in dispersal by birds. Species belonging to the genus Virola often have stellate hailrs covering their leaves, stems, and fruit. This SEM depicts one such trichome; epidermal cells are visible in the background. The fruit of Otoba glycicarpa has a whitish and sugary aril, which is thought to encourage dispersal by mammals.