Lyonia heptamera Urb.

  • Family

    Ericaceae (Magnoliophyta)

  • Scientific Name

    Lyonia heptamera Urb.

  • Primary Citation

    Symb. Antill. (Urban) 1: 376. 1899

  • Common Names

    palo de reina

  • Description

    Description: Low evergreen shrub, usually not over ca. 2 m tall, generally from an underground woody burl, with gray, longitudinally furrowed bark; twigs slightly angled, usually stout, sparsely to moderately lepidote, otherwise glabrous; buds ovoid, 2-4 x 2-3 mm. Leaf blades ovate, 2-6(-9) x 1.7-5(-6.7) cm, ± flat, thick-coriaceous, ca. 0.4-0.7 mm thick; base cordate to less commonly rounded (to cuneate in immature plants); apex slightly acuminate or acute, to truncate or rounded; margin revolute or plane, apical portion irregularly sinuous to obscurely toothed, basal portion sinuous to entire; venation brochidodromous, 3° veins reticulate to percurrent; adaxial surface often roughened by thickened scale bases, especially near margin or toward apex, lepidote but scales usually quickly deciduous, glabrous on midvein, the veins usually slightly depressed, ± obscure above 4°; abaxial surface moderately to densely lepidote, otherwise densely pubescent, all veins prominently raised and forming conspicuous network; scales rust colored, deciduous to persistent, ca. 0.07-0.22 mm in diameter, erose to nearly entire; petiole 4-10 mm long, lepidote, otherwise glabrous; flower buds ± intermixed with vegetative buds. Inflorescences fasciculate to shortly racemose, 4- to 13-flowered; pedicels clearly articulated with calyx, stout, 5-20 mm long, lepidote, otherwise pubescent; bracteoles opposite to subopposite, basal or nearly so, narrowly triangular, 2-6 mm long; floral bracts 4-9 mm long, usually caducous. Flowers (5-) 6- or 7- (8-) merous; calyx lobes triangular, with acuminate apices, (2-) 2.5-6 x 1.5-5 mm, adaxial side slightly pubescent, especially at margins and near apex, abaxial side densely lepidote, otherwise moderately to densely pubescent; corolla carnose, urceolate, white to pink tinged, especially near mouth, 8-13 x 8-13 mm, abaxially densely to moderately lepidote; filaments roughened, 4.5-7 mm long, unappendaged or with spurs to ca. 0.6 mm long near junction with anthers; anthers 2-4 mm long; ovary lepidote, otherwise pubescent, placentae subapical to nearly central. Capsules subglobose to short-ovoid, 4-7 x 7-10.5 mm, moderately to densely lepidote, otherwise sparsely to densely pubescent, especially near base, the pale, very thick sutures separating as unit from adjacent valves; seeds 1.5-2 mm long.

    Distribution: Endemic to the Dominican Republic (Cordillera Central), chiefly in high-elevation Pinus occidentalis forests, occasionally in adjacent cloud forest, at ca. 2000-3175 m elev. Flowering ± continuously.

    Type: Dominican Republic. Pico del Valle, 260 m, 30 May 1887, Eggers 2199 (holotype, B, destroyed; isotypes: K, L, M, P).

    Illustration: Judd (1995), fig. 6.

    Local name: Dominican Republic: palo de reina (Liogier, 1974)

  • Floras and Monographs

    Lyonia heptamera Urb.: [Article] Luteyn, James L., et al. 1995. Ericaceae, Part II. The Superior-Ovaried Genera (Monotropoideae, Pyroloideae, Rhododendroideae, and Vaccinioideae P.P.). Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 66: 560.