At one stage, Myrtaceae was sub divided into two sub families – based upon whether fruits were fleshy or dry. Today the family has been divided into two sub families on a different basis. It is important to appreciate that as we understand more about plants, the way in which we classify them can keep changing.
Today we consider two sub families in the Myrtaceae –
- Psiloxyloideae
- Myrtoideae; and those sub families into 17 tribes.
The only living genera in the Psiloxyloideae are Heteropyxis and Psiloxylon.
The Myrtoideae has thousands of living genera ranging from Eucalyptus an Melaleuca to Metrosideros and Leptospermum.
We have now made a short video to explain the taxonomy of Myrtaceae more. Take a look and learn.
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