Drimys is a genus of approximately seven species of woody evergreen flowering plants belonging to the family Winteraceae, one of the most ancient lineages of flowering plants. Members of this genus are primitive dicots — they lack vessels in their wood, a trait considered ancestral among angiosperms — and are considered relicts of the humid temperate Antarctic flora that flourished on the supercontinent of Gondwana millions of years ago.
The genus is native to the Neotropics, distributed from southern Mexico through Central America and across South America to the southern tip of Patagonia. Species inhabit humid montane and temperate forests, often at high elevations. All members bear aromatic bark and leaves; the bark of Drimys winteri (Winter's bark) in particular was historically valued for its medicinal and nutritive properties.
The genus has a complex taxonomic history. It formerly encompassed species from Australasia, including Tasmanian pepper (D. lanceolata), but a growing botanical consensus has transferred those species to the segregate genus Tasmannia, leaving Drimys sensu stricto as a strictly Neotropical group. Notable species include D. winteri, the type species, found in southern Chile and adjacent Argentina; D. granadensis, ranging from Mexico to Peru; D. brasiliensis of eastern South America; and D. confertiflora, endemic to the remote Juan Fernández Islands.
Etymology
The genus name Drimys derives from the Greek δριμύς (drimys), meaning "acrid" or "pungent," a reference to the sharp, spicy taste and aromatic quality of the bark and leaves characteristic of all members of the genus.
Distribution
Drimys species are native to the Neotropics, with a range extending from southern Mexico through Central America and the Andes to the southern tip of South America (Tierra del Fuego). The range also includes Atlantic forest regions of Brazil and the isolated Juan Fernández Islands off Chile's coast. Most species occupy humid montane or temperate forests.
Ecology
Members of Drimys are associated with the humid temperate Antarctic flora of the Southern Hemisphere, a relict vegetation type that evolved on Gondwana. The genus is characteristic of cool, wet montane forests and cloud forests throughout its range. D. confertiflora is notable as a dominant tree species in the tall lowland and lower montane forests of the Juan Fernández Islands.
Taxonomy Notes
Drimys was formerly a broader genus that included Australasian species such as Tasmanian pepper (Drimys lanceolata). Modern systematic treatments separate these into the genus Tasmannia, restricting Drimys to purely Neotropical species. The family Winteraceae, to which Drimys belongs, is among the most archaic of angiosperm families, retaining vesselless wood.
History
Drimys winteri (Winter's bark) was collected during Francis Drake's 1577–1580 circumnavigation by Captain William Winter, who used the aromatic bark to treat scurvy among his crew. The species was subsequently named in his honour. The bark was traded in Europe as a tonic and spice for several centuries, making Drimys winteri one of the earliest South American plants to enter the European pharmacopoeia.
