Myrcia subsessilis O.Berg

• 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 subsessilis O.Berg

• Discussion

  This is one of the more readily recognizable taxa of the Myrcia fallax alliance, characterized by relatively broad, subsessile and often subcordate-auriculate leaves, and rather stout inflorescences with somewhat flattened branches; see the discussion under M . fallax. Myrcia subsessilis is unknown except from the Rio Negro-Upper Orinoco region, where apparently it replaces M . splendens to a large extent. The two varieties described by Berg are morphologically distinguishable, and apparently have a somewhat different habitat also. Myrcia subsessilis var. subsessilis has been collected at elevations up to 300 m only, and chiefly along rivers and savannahs near the rivers; M . subsessilis var. ovalis, originally collected by Spruce "ad flumina Cassiquiari, Vasiva et Pacimoni," has been collected more recently in the lowlands but also several times on Cerro de la Neblina at elevations of from 650-1100 m.