[Vernacular Chilean mayten, name for type species] [Vernacular Chilean mayten, name for type species]

Jinshuang Ma

Geoffrey A. Levin

Tricerma Liebmann

Shrubs or trees, <polygamomonoecious>. Branchlets terete. Leaves persistent, alternate; stipules present; petiole present; blade margins entire or serrate; venation pinnate. Inflorescences axillary, cymes or flowers solitary. Flowers bisexual and unisexual, radially symmetric; perianth and androecium hypogynous; hypanthium absent; sepals 5, distinct; petals 5, white or greenish white; nectary intrastaminal, annular, fleshy. Bisexual flowers: stamens 5, free and inserted under nectary; staminodes 0; pistil 2–4-carpellate; ovary superior, <immersed in and adnate to nectary>, 2–4-locular, placentation axile; style 1; stigmas 2–4; ovules 1–2 per locule. Staminate flowers: stamens 5, free from and inserted under nectary; staminodes 0; pistillode present. Pistillate flowers: staminodes 5, alternate with petals, undivided, not gland-tipped, <minute>; pistil 2–4-carpellate; ovary superior, <immersed in and adnate to nectary>, 2–4-locular, placentation axile; style 1; stigmas 2–4; ovules 1–2 per locule. Fruits capsules, 2–4-locular, obovoid, 2–4-angled, apex not beaked. Seeds 1 per locule, ellipsoid, not winged; aril bright red, completely surrounding seed.

Species ca. 200 (2 in the flora): United States, Mexico, West Indies, Central America, South America, Eurasia, Africa, Atlantic Islands, Indian Ocean Islands, Pacific Islands, Australia.

Tricerma, sometimes separated from Maytenus (for example, by C. L. Lundell 1971), is embedded within Maytenus (M. J. McKenna et al. 2011) and not accepted here.

Lower Taxa

• Maytenus boaria Molina
• Maytenus phyllanthoides Bentham
• Maytenus phyllanthoides var. ovalifolia Loesener
• Maytenus phyllanthoides var. phyllanthoides