橄榄科科

橄榄科的一些植物分泌芳香的树脂，可以作为香，最著名的是乳香树分泌的乳香。

橄榄科橄榄属的一些种的果实可以作为水果食用，如橄榄、乌榄等。

属

• 翼柄榄属 Ambilobea
• 刺茎榄属 Beiselia
• 桃心榄属 Aucoumea
• 乳香属 Boswellia，乳香树属
• 裂榄属 Bursera
• 橄榄属 Canarium
• 没药属 Commiphora，没药树属
• 悬子榄属 Crepidospermum
• 蜡烛榄属 Dacryodes
• 嘉榄属 Garuga
• 宿萼榄属 Haplolobus
• 梨榄属 Pachylobus
• 马蹄果属 Protium
• 鼠李榄属 Pseudodacryodes
• 叶苞榄属 Rosselia
• 斜榄属 Santiria，山地榄属
• 梅心榄属 Scutinanthe
• 香膏榄属 Tetragastris
• 油脂榄属 Trattinnickia
• 风车榄属 Triomma

The Burseraceae are a moderate-sized family of 17-19 genera and about 540 species of woody flowering plants. The actual numbers given in taxonomic sources differ according to taxonomic revision at the time of writing. The Burseraceae are also known as the torchwood family, the frankincense and myrrh family, or simply the incense tree family. The family includes both trees and shrubs; its species are native to tropical regions of Africa, Asia, Australasia, and the Americas.

Because of taxonomic revision, as the family size (in terms of genera and species) differs according to the time period of study; so, too, does the family's higher-level relationships, including order. Burseraceae is a genetically-supported monophyletic group since APG III and is frequently cited within the Sapindales. It is recognized as a sister group to the Anacardiaceae.

The Burseraceae are characterized by the generally non-allergenic resin they produce in virtually all plant tissue and their distinctive smooth, yet flaking, aromatic bark. The origins of the family can be traced to the Paleocene (about 65 Mya) when Beiselia mexicana first diverged in Mexico. The subsequent divergences in the family lineage and migration of species in the Eocene (53 Mya) out of North America have led to the current distribution of the species being primarily associated with the tropics. Though the family likely originated in North America, the greatest genetic diversity presently is found in the Southern Hemisphere. Tabonuco (Dacryodes excelsa) and gumbo limbo (Bursera simaruba) represent the economic, ethnobotanical, and ecological significance of the Burseraceae in the Western Hemisphere, while frankincense (Boswellia sacra) and myrrh (Commiphora myrrha) represent the same in the Eastern Hemisphere.

Key characteristics

The Burseraceae trees or shrubs are characterized by resins (having triterpenoids and ethereal oils) that are present within the plant tissue from the vertical resin canals and ducts in the bark to the leaf veins. In fact, the synapomorphy of the Burseraceae is the smooth yet peeling or flaking aromatic bark. The clear, nonallergenic resins may smell like almonds, but at least the most well known resins, frankincense and myrrh, have a distinct odor.

Taxonomy

Some discrepancy exists in the literature about the size of the Burseraceae. Records say that the family has 17 to 18 genera and 500 to 540 to 726 species. Other authors cite different numbers: 16–20 genera and 600 species; 20 genera and 500–600 species; According to a pollen studies and molecular data, the family is split into three tribes: the Protieae, Bursereae, and Canarieae. The Protieae are composed of Protium (147 species and largest in this tribe), Crepidospermum, Garuga, and Tetragastris.

Order

According to the literature, the Burseraceae have not been lumped with other families nor split up into several others. However, they have "jumped" orders several times. For example, in the early 19th century, the family seems to have been placed in the Burserales, with the Anacardiaceae and Podoaceae. In the mid-19th century and early 20th century, the family was placed in the Geraniales. Then, by the mid- and late-20th century, the family was moved to the Rutales.

Biogeography

The Burseraceae are distributed throughout the world and primarily in the tropics, especially Malesia, Africa, and Central and South America. The three tribes can be linked to a specific region of the world, although this is not obligatory. For example, members of the tribe Protieae are generally found in South America, those of the Bursereae are found in Africa and Mesoamerica, while members of the Canarieae are found in Malesia.

Economic significance and ethnobotanic uses

Several representative species within the Burseraceae typify the economic and ethnobotanic significance of the family. First, Dacryodes excelsa of the Canarieae is an important old-growth species found in the Caribbean. Second, Bursera simaruba of the Burserinae is a fast-growing ornamental that is one of a few representatives of the primarily tropical family in the United States.