Drimys
Template:Short description {{#invoke:other uses|otheruses}} Template:Italic title Template:Automatic taxobox
Drimys is a genus of seven species of woody evergreen flowering plants, in the family Winteraceae. The species are native to the Neotropics, ranging from southern Mexico to the southern tip of South America.<ref name = powo>Drimys J.R.Forst. & G.Forst. Plants of the World Online, Kew Science. Accessed 24 April 2022.</ref> They are primitive dicots, associated with the humid temperate Antarctic flora of the Southern Hemisphere, which evolved millions of years ago on the ancient supercontinent of Gondwana. Members of the family generally have aromatic bark and leaves, and some are used to extract essential oils.
Species
Seven species are currently accepted.<ref name = powo/>
- Drimys andina Template:Small (syn. D. winteri var. andina) – southern and central Chile and adjacent Argentina
- Drimys angustifolia Template:Small – southern Brazil
- Drimys brasiliensis Template:Small – eastern and southern Brazil, northeastern Argentina, Paraguay, and Bolivia
- Drimys confertifolia Template:Small – Juan Fernández Islands
- Drimys granadensis Template:Small – southern Mexico south to Peru
- Drimys roraimensis Template:Small – southern Venezuela and northern Brazil, possibly western Guyana
- Drimys winteri Template:Small – southern and central Chile, southwestern Argentina
D. confertifolia is endemic to the Juan Fernández Islands, 670 km off the Chilean coast, where it forms a dominant tree in the tall lowland forests and lower montane forests of the islands.
The genus formerly included a number of species from Australasia, including Tasmanian pepper (D. lanceolata). Recent botanical studies have led to a growing consensus of botanists to split the genus into two, with the Neotropical species remaining in genus Drimys, and the Australasian species classified in genus Tasmannia.<ref>Doust, Andrew N. and Drinnan, Andrew N. 2004. Floral development and molecular phylogeny support the generic status of Tasmannia (Winteraceae). American Journal of Botany 91: 321-331, available online (pdf).</ref>