Lyonia maestrensis Acuña & Roíg

  • Family

    Ericaceae (Magnoliophyta)

  • Scientific Name

    Lyonia maestrensis Acuña & Roíg

  • Primary Citation

    Contr. Ocas. Mus. Hist. Nat. Colegio "De La Salle" 15: 5. 1956

  • Description

    Description: Evergreen small shrub to tree with longitudinally furrowed bark; twigs slightly to moderately angled, slender, sparsely lepidote, otherwise glabrous to sparsely pubescent; buds ovoid, 0.8-1.2 x ca. 0.8 mm, lepidote. Leaf blades ovate to elliptic, 3.5-9 x 2-6 cm, ± flat, usually thinly coriaceous, ca. 0.15-0.2 mm thick; base broadly cuneate to slightly cordate; apex acuminate, acute, to rounded or truncate; margin not revolute, apical portion clearly but finely and irregularly toothed, basal portion obscurely toothed; venation brochidodromous, 3o veins ± reticulate; adaxial surface lepidote but scales quickly deciduous, sparsely pubescent on basal portion of midvein, with 2o and higher order veins obscure to slightly visible; abaxial surface sparsely lepidote, otherwise glabrous, the 3o and higher order veins ± flat, obscure to very slightly and laxly reticulate, the 2o veins visible and slightly raised to obscure; scales rusty to golden, becoming whitish with age, usually persistent, ca. 0.08-0.17 mm in diameter, entire to slightly irregular; petiole 2-6 mm long, lepidote, otherwise adaxially pubescent. Inflorescences fasciculate, ca. 3- to 8-flowered; pedicels ± clearly articulated with calyx, slender, ca. 2.5-4 mm long, lepidote, otherwise sparsely pubescent; bracteoles opposite, basal, narrowly triangular, ca. 0.8 mm long; floral bracts to ca. 1(?) mm long. Flowers 4-merous; calyx lobes triangular, with acuminate to nearly acute apices, 0.7-0.9 x 0.4-0.6 mm, adaxial side glabrous or very sparsely pubescent near apex, abaxial side lepidote, otherwise usually glabrous; corolla urceolate(?), white, only immature flowers seen, but possibly reaching 3 or 4 mm in length, abaxially moderately (or densely?) lepidote; filaments roughened; ovary lepidote, otherwise pubescent. Capsules narrowly ovoid, ca. 8 x ca. 3.5 mm, lepidote, otherwise pubescent, with pale, very thick sutures; seeds not seen.

    Distribution: Endemic to Cuba (Oriente: W Sierra Maestra), rare, in "fangales" (moist montane forests).

    Type: Cuba. Oriente: nr. Yao Arriba, 13 Mar 1952, E. E. Smith 375 (holotype, HAC, n.v.; photo of holotype, FLAS; isotype, HAC, n.v.).

    Illustration: Judd (1995), fig. 24.

  • Floras and Monographs

    Lyonia maestrensis Acuña & Roíg: [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.