Meryta
Meryta is a genus in the flowering plant family Araliaceae. There are 28 described species in the genus and a number of undescribed species[2], 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 as a monophyletic genus in one of the three major clades of the Araliaciae, the Polyscias-Pseudopanax group, and more specifically in the Pacific Schefflera subclade[3].
Meryta | |
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Meryta sinclairii from New Zealand | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Asterids |
Order: | Apiales |
Family: | Araliaceae |
Subfamily: | Aralioideae |
Genus: | Meryta J.R.Forst. & G.Forst.[1] |
Type species | |
Meryta lanceolata J.R.Forst. & G.Forst.[1] | |
Species | |
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Synonyms | |
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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, M. latifolia, native to Norfolk Island, and the New Zealand species Meryta sinclairii.
References
- Johann Reinhold Forster & Georg Forster (1776). "plate 60". Characteres generum plantarum, quas in itinere ad insulas maris Australis: collegerunt, descripserunt, delinearunt, annis 1772-1775. London: B. White, T. Cadell, and P. Elmsly.
- Tronchet, F. and Lowry, P. P. (2011). "A new species of Meryta (Araliaceae) from the Marquesas Archipelago, French Polynesia". PhytoKeys. 4: 149–156. doi:10.3897/phytokeys.4.1408. PMID 22171187.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
- Tronchet, F., Plunkett, G.M., Jérémie, J., and Lowry, P. P. (2005). "Monophyly and major clades of Meryta (Araliaceae)". Systematic Botany. 30 (3): 657–670. doi:10.1600/0363644054782279. JSTOR 25064093.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
External links
Wikispecies has information related to Meryta |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Meryta. |