Myrceugenia alpigena var. rufa (O.Berg) Landrum

• Authority

  Landrum, Leslie R. 1981. A monograph of the genus Myrceugenia (Myrtaceae). Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 29: 1-137. (Published by NYBG Press)

• Family

  Myrtaceae

• Scientific Name

  Myrceugenia alpigena var. rufa (O.Berg) Landrum

• Type

  Type. Riedel s.n., "Habitat in fruticetis ad colies editos prope Ouro Preto prov. Minarum" (holotype, LE; probable isotype, P).

• Synonyms

  Eugenia fuliginea var. rufa O.Berg, Eugenia fuliginea O.Berg, Eugenia seriato-pedunculata Kiaersk., Eugenia sticheromischa Kiaersk., Luma seriato-pedunculata (Kiaersk.) Burret, Luma sticheromischa (Kiaersk.) Burret, Myrceugenia bracteosa var. seriato-pedunculata (Kiaersk.) D.Legrand, Myrceugenia bracteosa var. australis D.Legrand

• Description

  
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  Variety Description - Leaves 1.5-5.5 cm long, 0.6-2 cm wide, 2-3 times as long as wide, mainly obovate, usually densely covered with appressed hairs beneath; peduncles usually 2-4 in a row in the leaf axils, 0.3-1 cm long; bracteoles ovate to orbicular, 1.4-2.4 mm long, 1-2.8 mm wide, 0.9-1.8 times as long as wide; calyx-lobes blunt to rounded, ovate to orbicular, 1.6-2.7 mm long, 1.4-3.3 mm wide, 0.8-1.2 times as long as wide; hypanthium 1.5-2 mm long.

• Discussion

  The name Myrceugenia bracteosa has been applied to this variety in the numerous works of Legrand. As defined here, M. bracteosa is a distinct but rather similar species which can be distinguished from M. alpigena var. rufa through its hairs which are a mixture of simple and dibrachiate, not all symmetrically dibrachiate; its calyx-lobes, at least two of which are usually strongly acute, not blunt to rounded; and its leaves which are mainly elliptic, often with the veins somewhat prominent, not obovate with indistinct veins as they usually are in M. alpigena var. rufa.

  Myrceugenia seriatoramosa is also quite similar to M. alpigena var. rufa but differs in having the lower surfaces of leaves, the twigs and sometimes the calyx-lobes only sparsely covered with hairs. In M. seriatoramosa the leaf apex is usually bluntly or sharply acuminate, not rounded as it normally is in M. alpigena var. rufa.
  Myrceugenia colchaguensis, the only western member of the M. alpigena complex, might also be confused with M. alpigena var. rufa if one did not know the origin of a specimen. It differs in that its leaves are only 0.7-2(-3) cm long and its bracteoles are 2-2.8 times as long as wide. It differs from M. alpigena var. alpigena in its calyx-lobes being 0.7-1.2(-1.4) times as long as wide and the hypanthium being 1.2-2 mm long. If plotted on the scatter diagram in Fig. 16 it would mainly be located to the left of M. alpigena var. alpigena and above M. alpigena var. rufa.
  Myrceugenia alpigena var. rufa ranges as far north as Minas Gerais but apparently becomes more common towards the south until at its southern limit in Rio Grande do Sul it is one of the main constituents of the Araucaria forests.
  There it may play a pioneer role in the expansion of the forests because it commonly grows around the edges. It flowers from December to March. Normal fruits are unknown to me but those attacked by fungi seem to persist on the plants for at least a year. A map of the distribution of M. alpigena var. rufa is shown in Fig. 17.

• Distribution

  Brazil South America| Minas Gerais Brazil South America| Rio de Janeiro Brazil South America| Paraná Brazil South America| Santa Catarina Brazil South America| Rio Grande do Sul Brazil South America|