Myrceugenia myrcioides var. acrophylla (O.Berg) D.Legrand

• 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 myrcioides var. acrophylla (O.Berg) D.Legrand

• Type

  Type. Riedel s.n., "Habitat ad margines silvarum montis Serra d Estrella prov. Rio de Janeiro, florebat Januario-Februario" (holotype, LE, n.v.).

• Synonyms

  Eugenia acrophylla O.Berg, Eugenia estrellensis O.Berg, Luma estrellensis (O.Berg) Burret, Luma acrophylla (O.Berg) Burret, Luma ulei Burret, Myrceugenia estrellensis (O.Berg) D.Legrand & Kausel, Myrceugenia myrcioides var. ulei (Burret) D.Legrand, Myrceugenia myrcioides var. paranensis D.Legrand, Myrceugenia acrophylla (O.Berg) D.Legrand, Myrceugenia ferreira-limana R.M.Klein & D.Legrand, Myrceugenia acrophylla var. ulei (O.Berg) D.Legrand

• Description

  Variety Description - Hairs greyish-white, reddish-brown or yellowish-brown, often all less than 0.3 mm long; leaves 4-16 cm long, 1.5-7 cm wide; blades membranous to subcoriaceous; bracteoles 2-8 mm long, 1-4 mm wide, 2-5.5 times as long as wide, densely pubescent without, densely pubescent to sparsely pubescent within, persistent or caducous before the fruit matures; calyx-lobes ovate to triangular, 46.5 mm long, 3.5-6 mm wide, valvate or overlapping along the narrow membranous margins of two lobes in the bud, otherwise coriaceous, sparsely pubescent distally to entirely glabrous within, densely pubescent to glabrous without; stamens ca. 250-500.

• Discussion

  Myrceugenia myrcioides var. acrophylla could only be confused with M. cucullata. The two are compared directly in the discussion of that species.

  No type specimen has been seen for Eugenia acrophylla Berg, but that name has been applied to this variety by Legrand since 1953 and is retained here, at least until a type can be seen. If the type does belong to this entity, which seems likely given the description, then E. acrophylla is the name which should be used as a basionym. If it does not belong here then two other epithets will have to be considered: ulei for which no type has been found but which is earlier; and paranensis for which the type has been found and which definitely belongs to this variety.

• Distribution

  Brazil South America| Minas Gerais Brazil South America| Rio de Janeiro Brazil South America| São Paulo Brazil South America| Paraná Brazil South America| Santa Catarina Brazil South America| Rio Grande do Sul Brazil South America|