Myrcia DC.

• Authority

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

• Family

  Myrtaceae

• Scientific Name

  Myrcia DC.

• Description

  Species Description - The plant is described as a tree 8 m tall, the leaves as "subcoriaceous, revolute, fulvous below, deep magenta with green and sulcate nerves above." The leaves are very broadly ovate or elliptic, 8-10 cm long, 6-7 cm wide, abruptly short-acuminate at apex, rounded at base, on petioles 7-8 mm long; the midvein and the 10-15 strongly parallel lateral veins are impressed above and prominent beneath; the inflorescence in fruit is 5-6 cm long; the calyx-lobes are 5, nearly erect on the immature fruit, tomentulose on both sides; the hypanthium is markedly prolonged, densely hirsute within; the anthers appear to be of the Myrcia (not Gomidesia)-type.

• Discussion

  The plant described below is extraordinarily like Gomidesia bonnettiasylvestris in quality and disposition of pubescence; in other respects it suggests an unusually large form of that species. As the one specimen at hand is in fruit, I hesitate to describe it as new, although it may well represent an independent species. It is possible on the other hand that it represents an ecotype, a localized population of the more widely known montane species, G. bonnettiasylvestris

• Distribution

  Venezuela South America|