Myrceugenia leptospermoides (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 leptospermoides (DC.) Kausel

• Type

  Type, "in Chili ex herb Deless." (G-DC, hereby designated as lectotype; possible isolectotype, RB; Field Museum neg. 7944 of lectotype, photo at MICH); apparently Dombey s.n., "in Peruvia ex herb, Juss." (G-DC, paratype; Field Museum neg. 7944 of paratype, photo at MICH).

• Synonyms

  Eugenia leptospermoides DC., Eugenia leptospermoides var. microphylla O.Berg, Eugenia leptospermoides var. latifolia O.Berg, Eugenia leptospermoides var. longifolia O.Berg, Eugenia thymifolia Phil. ex Reiche

• Description

  Species Description - Shrub 0.5-2 m high; hairs reddish-brown, a mixture of simple and dibrachiate; twigs grey to whitish-grey, densely pubescent when young, the hairs persisting until the first bark falls; leaves oblong to linear, 4-15 mm long, 1.5-3 mm wide, 2.7-7 times as long as wide, glabrous or with a few scattered hairs beneath; apex obtuse; base obtuse to acute; midvein slightly impressed or not at all above, moderately prominent below; lateral and marginal veins indistinct; blades sub-coriaceous, dull grey-green or brownish-green above, lighter, often yellow-green below; peduncles uniflorous, slightly flattened, 2-8 mm long, 0.2-0.3 mm wide, densely pubescent, solitary (rarely in pairs) in the axils of leaves; bracteoles ovate to oblong-lanceolate, blunt, 0.4-1.5 mm long, 0.3-0.7 mm wide, 1.3-2.3 times as long as wide, sparsely pubescent to glabrous within and without, subcoriaceous, loosely clasping the hypanthium; Calyx-lobes ovate, oblong-ovate to suborbicular, 1-2 mm long, 1-1.5 mm wide, 0.8-1.4 times as long as wide, glabrous to very sparsely pubescent within and without, membranous to subcoriaceous, concave, usually tinged with red; hypanthium densely pubescent, ca. 1 mm long, obconic to subglobose; disk 1-1.5 mm across, sparsely pubescent; stamens 60-90, ca. 3-5 mm long; anthers 0.2-0.4 mm long when dry; petals suborbicular, 1.5-2.5 mm in diam.; style ca. 4-5 mm long, glabrous to very sparsely pubescent; ovary 2-3-locular; ovules 2-6 per locule; fruit reddish-purple, globose, 4-5 mm in diam.; seeds 1-2 in fruits seen, oblong, 2-3 mm long.

• Discussion

  Myrceugenia leptospermoides is restricted to a small area in Chile from Concepcion to the cordillera of Nahuelbuta. A map of its distribution is shown in Fig. 10. It is apparently closely related to M. parvifolia but distinguished from that species by its pubescent peduncles and its leaves which are 1-3 mm wide. In M. parvifolia the peduncles are glabrous or nearly so and the leaves are 3-7 mm wide. Myrceugenia leptospermoides is also rather similar to M. smithii of Brazil and is compared with that species at the end of Key I.

  Myrceugenia leptospermoides flowers in February and March and the fruits seem to mature about 1 year later.

• Distribution

  Chile South America|