Lyonia myrtilloides Griseb.

  • Family

    Ericaceae (Magnoliophyta)

  • Scientific Name

    Lyonia myrtilloides Griseb.

  • Primary Citation

    Cat. Pl. Cub. 51. 1866

  • Common Names

    cereza de sabana, clavellina

  • Description

    Description: Evergreen shrub or small tree to 3(-6) m tall, sometimes with strongly ascending branches, with longitudinally furrowed bark; twigs moderately angled, slender, sparsely to densely lepidote, otherwise densely to occasionally moderately pubescent; buds ovoid, 0.5-1.5 x 0.5-1 mm. Leaf blades narrowly to widely obovate or elliptic, or occasionally slightly ovate or orbicular, 0.7-4(-4.5) x 0.3-2(-3.1) cm, flat to slightly recurved, coriaceous, ca. 0.3-0.36 mm thick; base attenuate, narrowly to broadly cuneate or rounded; apex rounded to truncate; margin plane to revolute, apical portion entire to sinuous (very obscurely and irregularly toothed), basal portion entire; venation brochidodromous, 3o veins reticulate; adaxial surface lepidote but scales quickly deciduous, densely to moderately pubescent on basal portion of midvein, the 3o and higher order veins obscure to visible, the midvein ± flat or less commonly slightly depressed, the 2o veins visible and slightly raised to obscure (slightly depressed); abaxial surface sparsely to moderately lepidote, otherwise glabrous, often very sparsely pubescent on midvein, especially basal portion, the 3o and higher order veins flat or nearly so, slightly and laxly reticulate to obscure, the 2o veins raised and visible to obscure, irregular; scales rust colored, becoming whitish with age, usually persistent, ca. 0.09-0.26 mm in diameter, entire to erose; petiole 1.5-5.5 mm long, lepidote, otherwise pubescent ± all around; flower buds ± intermixed with vegetative buds. Inflorescences fasciculate, 1- to 10-flowered; pedicels clearly to only weakly articulated with calyx, slender, 2.5-11 mm long, lepidote, otherwise very sparsely to moderately pubescent; bracteoles subopposite, nearly basal, narrowly triangular, 0.4-1.2 mm long; floral bracts to ca. 1.5 mm long. Flowers 4-(-5)-merous; calyx lobes triangular, with acuminate to nearly acute apices, 0.7-1.5 x 0.5-1.3 mm, adaxial side sparsely pubescent, especially near apex, abaxial side lepidote, otherwise glabrous or very sparsely pubescent near base; corolla urceolate to cylindrical, white, 2.5-4 x 1.7-2.7 mm, abaxially sparsely lepidote; filaments roughened, 1.3-2.3 mm long, usually with 2 spurs to ca. 0.1 mm long just below anther-filament junction; anthers 0.7-1.2 mm long; ovary lepidote, otherwise pubescent, placentae ± subapical. Capsules narrowly ovoid, straight-sided, 3-4 x 1.7-3(-3.5) mm, lepidote, otherwise densely to moderately pubescent, the pale, very thick sutures separating as unit from adjacent valves; seeds 1.5-2.5 mm long.

    Distribution: Endemic to Cuba (Prov. Pinar del Río, including Isle of Pines), in white sand or gravel savannas of Colpothrinax, Acoelorraphe, and Pinus, open pinelands (of Pinus tropicalis and P. caribaea), and thickets, at ca. 300 m elev. Flowering probably chiefly March through early June, although also November through February.

    Type: Cuba. Pinar del Río: Pinar del Río-Viñales, 23 Jan [1864], 1 Mar [1864], Nov [1863?], C. Wright 2195 (lectotype, GOET; isolectotypes, GH, MO, NY, P, S, UC; frag. of isolectotype, L).

    Illustration: Judd (1995), fig. 24.

    Local name: cereza de sabana (Roig, 1965)

  • Floras and Monographs

    Lyonia myrtilloides Griseb.: [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.