Ugni myricoides (Humb., Bonpl. & Kunth) Berg var. myricoides

  • Authority

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

  • Family

    Myrtaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Ugni myricoides (Humb., Bonpl. & Kunth) Berg var. myricoides

  • Discussion

    Myrtus myricoides H.B.K., Nov. Gen. &Sp. 6: 131 (folio ed. p. 104). pl. 53P. 1823.

    Colombian and Venezuelan material is consistent in having relatively large and narrow leaves acute at both ends, 5-6(-10) m m wide, 10-l5(-25) m m long; the branchlets and the flowers are persistently pubescent, and the narrow calyx-lobes are often 1.5 m m wide and 3(-5) m m long.

    The type of this species, as noted in the Flora of Peru (cf Field Mus. Publ. Bot. 13(4): 802, 803. 1958) probably came from Colombia rather than from Peru; the plant collected by Humboldt and Bonpland, which I studied at P in 1965, is very like other Colombian specimens (e.g., Haught 5727; cf also Field Mus. neg. 36895, a photograph of the type)

    Two collections from Cerro de la Neblina, Rio Yatua, Amazonas, Venezuela, from the upper Cafion Grande basin at elevations of 1900-2000 m, Maguire et al 42363 (NY) and 42387 ( M I C H ) are like typical U. myricoides except that the flowers are a little smaller, and one specimen (no. 42387) is nearly glabrous.

    Quite unlike any of the foregoing in having nearly linear leaves, glabrous foliage and branchlets but pubescent peduncles and hypanthia, is the fohowing: Antioquia: Medelhn, La Sierra, elev 2000 m, 3/8/1931 (fl). Archer 1642 ( N Y ) . This simulates Ugni myricoides f stenophylla in its very narrow leaves and the general absence of pubescence, but the large pubescent flowers with narrow calyx-lobes, and the leaflength (up to 2 cm) suggest that Archer's cohection represents merely an extreme form developed here independently from the basic Andean population.

    A somewhat less extreme form is Myrtus myricoides var turumiquirensis Steyerm. (Fieldiana Bot. 28: 1022. 1957), from Cerro Turumiquire, State of Sucre, Steyermark 62628 (F), type). This is a plant with lance-elliptic leaves 7-10 m m long, 2.5- 3.5 m m wide. The whole plant is nearly glabrous. The calyx-lobes are mostly 2.5-3 m m long, i.e., about as long as in M . myricoides var myricoides. Evidently this represents a local population, perhaps best referred to the inclusive M . myricoides var myricoides. Ugni angustifolia Burret (Notizbl. Berlin 15: 507. 1941), based on Tate 212 (US), from an elevation of 3520 m on Cerro de Turumiquire, doubtless represents the same taxon, although from the description the plant is somewhat more pubescent than that of Steyermark. Burret described the calyx as 4-merous; in Steyermark's specimen 4-merous and 5-merous calyces occur on the same plant.

  • Distribution

    Venezuela South America| Colombia South America|