Myrceugenia parvifolia (DC.) Kausel

• Authority

  Landrum, Leslie R. 1981. A monograph of the genus Myrceugenia (Myrtaceae). Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 29: 1-137. (Published by NYBG Press)

• Family

  Myrtaceae

• Scientific Name

  Myrceugenia parvifolia (DC.) Kausel

• Type

  Type. Dombey s.n., "in Peruvia" (holotype, G-DC, n.v.; possible isotype, RB; Field Museum neg. 7949 of holotype, photo at MICH).

• Synonyms

  Eugenia parvifolia DC., Luma baeckeoides Griseb.

• Description

  Species Description - Shrub or small tree 1-5 m high; hairs whitish to reddish-brown, a mixture of simple and dibrachiate; twigs light grey to reddish-brown, densely pubescent when young, the hairs spreading, deciduous with the young twig bark; leaves glabrous or with scattered symmetric dibrachiate hairs, narrowly elliptic, oblong or lanceolate, 1-2.6 cm long, 0.3-0.7 cm wide, (2.2-)2.7-4.8 times as long as wide; apex and base acute to obtuse; midvein impressed for entire length to not at all above, moderately prominent to indistinct below; lateral veins indistinct or up to 5 pairs faintly visible; marginal veins equalling laterals in prominence; blades subcoriaceous to submembranous, dull grey-green, often tinged with reddish-brown above, lighter grey-green or yellow-green below; peduncles uniflorous, slightly flattened, 5-14 mm long, 0.3-0.4 mm wide, glabrous or with a few scattered hairs, solitary in the axils of leaves; bracteoles ovate to lanceolate, 0.5-1 mm long, 0.2-0.5 mm wide, 1.3-3.5 times as long as wide, subcoriaceous, sparsely pubescent to glabrous within and without, loosely clasping the hypanthium; calyx-lobes ovate to oblong, 1.2-2.3 mm long, 1-2 mm wide, 1-1.7 times as long as wide, glabrous or with a few scattered hairs within and without, submembranous, concave; hypanthium obconic, 0.8-1.5 mm long, sparsely pubescent, the hairs whitish, appressed; disk 1-2 mm across, very sparsely pubescent to glabrous; stamens 60-100; anthers 0.2-0.3 mm long; ovary 2-3-locular; ovules 3-8 per locule; fruit globose, ca. 7 mm in diam.; seeds few, oblong, 3-4 mm long.

• Discussion

  Myrceugenia parvifolia, part of the M. ovata complex, could possibly be confused with M. ovata var. gracilis and M. leptospermoides. With the first, a Brazilian species, it is compared at the end of Key G. Myrceugenia leptospermoides differs from M. parvifolia in having its peduncles densely pubescent and its linear to oblong leaves 1.5-3 mm wide.

  Myrceugenia parvifolia is an understory shrub or tree in the wet forests of southern Chile. A map of its distribution is shown in Fig. 10. In open areas it becomes a dense shrub. It flowers mainly in February and March and the fruits probably mature during the spring months of October and November.

• Distribution

  Chile South America| Maule Chile South America|