Myrceugenia planipes (Hook. & Arn.) O.Berg

  • 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 planipes (Hook. & Arn.) O.Berg

  • Type

    Type. Cuming 28 "Chiloe" (holotype, E-GL, n.v. ; photo of holotype at A, negative at SGO); probable isotype, Cuming 98 at W; Field Museum neg. 31599 of Cuming 98 at W, photo at MICH).

  • Synonyms

    Myrceugenia planipes Hook. & Arn., Eugenia planipes var. grandifolia O.Berg, Eugenia distoma O.Berg, Myrcia planipes (Hook. & Arn.) Kiaersk., Myrceugenia distoma (O.Berg) Kausel, Eugenia planipes var. planipes

  • Description

    Species Description - Small tree up to ca. 8 m high; hairs whitish, yellowish or less often reddish-brown, symmetrically dibrachiate, appressed; twigs sparsely to densely pubescent when young, glabrescent with age, the bark grey, often persisting as strips beneath the leaf bases; leaves moderately to sparsely pubescent below when young, glabrescent with age, elliptic, 2.2-8 cm long, 1-3 cm wide, 2-3.4 times as long as wide; apex acuminate, less often acute; base cuneate to acuminate; petiole channeled, 2-6 mm long, 1-2 mm thick, densely to sparsely pubescent, becoming less so with age; midvein impressed for entire length or nearly so above, prominent below; lateral veins indistinguishable or up to ca. 30 pairs faintly visible; marginal veins equalling laterals in prominence; blades drying light to dark grey-green or reddish-brown above, lighter yellow-green, grey-green or tan beneath, coriaceous; peduncles strongly flattened, 0.7-3 cm long, ca. 1 mm wide, sparsely to moderately pubescent, solitary or up to 3(-4) in the axils of leaves or less often in the axils of bracts; bracteoles ovate to lanceolate, 1.9-3.1 mm long, 0.8-1.3(-l .7) mm wide, 1.4-3 times as long as wide, sparsely pubescent within and without, clasping the hypanthium or somewhat reflexed; calyx-lobes broadly ovate, concave, 1.8-3 mm long, 2.5-4 mm wide, 0.5-0.8(-1.2) times as long as wide, coriaceous, sparsely pubescent to glabrous within and without; hypanthium hemiobicular, densely pubescent, 1.5-4 mm long, usually prolonged 1-1.5 mm past the ovary; disk 2.5-4 mm across, sparsely pubescent to glabrous; style ca. 1 cm long, glabrous; stamens 120-220, 7-12 mm long; anthers 0.4-0.8 mm long when dry; petals suborbicular, 3-6 mm in diam.; ovary 3-4-locular; ovules 4-11(-13) per locule; fruit globose, 0.8-1 cm in diam., purplish-black; seeds few, ca. 6 mm in diam.

  • Discussion

    At W there are two specimens of this species labeled Cuming 98. They fit the description of Eugenia planipes of Hooker and Arnott well and the 9’s could easily become 2’s with only slight modification. I therefore suspect that they are isotypes.

    Apparently Poeppig’s numbers 456 and 457 have been mixed together. One of the collections must have been Myrceugenia planipes while the other was Luma apiculata. At W there is a sheet each of Poeppig 456 and 457 which are Luma apiculata and also three sheets of Poeppig 456 and one of Poeppig 457 which are M. planipes. Two of the sheets of Poeppig 456 which are M. planipes have “Eugenia distoma Bg.” written on them by Berg himself. One of these has been selected as the lectotype.

    Myrceugenia planipes is apparently most closely related to M. reitzii and M. kleinii of Brazil and is compared with them in Key A. Myrceugenia correifolia of Chile may also be a close relative as is apparent from various floral characteristics but it has leaves which are quite different and is geographically separated from M. planipes. Myrceugenia chrysocarpa is the species which might most easily be confused with M. planipes because they grow more or less sympatrically. The two are compared in the discussion of M. chrysocarpa and at the end of Key M.

    Myrceugenia planipes is an understory tree in the rain forests of southern Chile, growing mainly at elevations below 700 m. In Argentina it has been found only on the Quetrihué Peninsula, which seems to be a locality of relatively moderate temperatures and heavy rain fall in Lago Nahuel Huapi. A map of its distribution is shown in Fig. 11.

  • Distribution

    Chile South America| Aisén Chile South America| Argentina South America| Neuquén Argentina South America|