Campomanesia

• Authority

  Maguire, Bassett. 1969. The botany of the Guayana Highland-part VIII. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 18: 1-290.

• Family

  Myrtaceae

• Scientific Name

  Campomanesia

• Discussion

  A genus of perhaps 50 species, mostly natives of central and southern Brazil. Only the following are known from northern South America. The group was maintained by Berg (cf Linnaea 2 7 : 347-349. 1856) as one of the genera of the Pimentinae having the embryo spirally coiled (as distinct from those genera having the embryo merely uncinate or C-shaped), the locules of the ovary several (4-11), and the calyx-lobes usually 5, broad and membranaceous, and the testa of the seed membranaceous and verruculose-glandular. Superficially our species m a y be distinguished from species of Psidium by the broad thin calyx-lobes not further separated by splitting between the bases; by the thin leaves with strongly ascending lateral veins and hardly any noticeable marginal veins; and by the tendency to produce solitary flowers at leafless nodes rather than in the axils of mature leaves.