杯轴花科也叫香材树科、香材梅科或直接音译为檬立木科，共有18-25属约150-220种，全部都是生长在南半球的植物，有灌木或小乔木，其中最大的属是生长在马达加斯加岛的Tambourissa属，有约50余种。

在南极洲曾经发现最早的杯轴花科植物化石，大约在白垩纪晚期。

Monimiaceae is a family of flowering plants in the magnoliid order Laurales. It is closely related to the families Hernandiaceae and Lauraceae. It consists of shrubs, small trees, and a few lianas of the tropics and subtropics, mostly in the southern hemisphere. The largest center of diversity is New Guinea, with about 75 species. Lesser centers of diversity are Madagascar, Australia, and the neotropics. Africa has one species, as does southern Chile, and several species are distributed thru Malesia and the southwest Pacific.