MYRTACEAE Juss.
Family composed of about 145 genera and about 5,970 species of trees and shrubs, spread across temperate and tropical regions, especially in the Southern Hemisphere. In North Africa, it is only represented by shrubs of the genus Myrtus.
Eucalyptus trees (Eucaliptus sp.) also belong to this family. They are large trees; in some species, such as Eucalyptus regnans F.Muell., there are records of trees up to 100 m in height. Planted in the Mediterranean region they can reach considerable heights but always less than in their native countries of Australasia. For many years they have been cultivated in the Mediterranean region for ornamental and economic (paper pulp) purposes, and they have even been used in alleged “reforestation”, despite the significant negative environmental impact they cause in Mediterranean landscapes, where they clearly impoverish soils and biodiversity.
Migliore, J., Baumel, A., Juin, M., Fady, B., Roig, A., Duong N., et al. 2013. Surviving in Mountain Climate Refugia: New Insights from the Genetic Diversity and Structure of the Relict Shrub Myrtus nivellei (Myrtaceae) in the Sahara Desert. PLoS ONE8(9): e73795. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0073795.
Updated by: H. Sainz & J. Charco.