Campomanesia aromatica (Aubl.) Griseb.

  • Authority

    Landrum, Leslie R. 1986. Campomanesia, Pimenta, Blepharocalyx, Legrandia, Acca, Myrrhinium, and Luma (Myrtaceae). Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 45: 1-178. (Published by NYBG Press)

  • Family

    Myrtaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Campomanesia aromatica (Aubl.) Griseb.

  • Type

    Type. French Guiana.  Habitat in sylvis Caiennae & Guianae, Aublet s.n. (holotype, BM; NY neg. 428 of holotype).

  • Synonyms

    Psidium aromaticum Blanco, Myrtus psidioides Desv. ex Ham., Psidium tenuifolium Mart. ex DC., Myrtus fascicularis DC., Eugenia sparsiflora DC., Eugenia desvauxiana O.Berg, Campomanesia synchrona O.Berg, Campomanesia coaetanea O.Berg, Campomanesia ciliata O.Berg, Campomanesia tenuifolia O.Berg, Abbevillea martiana O.Berg, Campomanesia glazioviana Kiaersk., Campomanesia beaurepairiana Kiaersk.

  • Description

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    Species Description - Shrub or tree 2-20 m high, sparsely to densely puberulent on young growth; hairs greyish-white, up to ca 0.3 mm long; young twigs drying dark blackish-green to yellowish-brown, puberulent to glabrous. Leaves persisting less than one year, immature at anthesis, elliptic, ovate, lanceolate, or oblanceolate, 4-12(-15) cm long, 2-4(-7.5) cm wide, 1.7-4 times as long as wide, puberulent when young, glabrous or nearly so at maturity, without tufts of hairs in the axils of the main veins below; apex acuminate to acute; base cuneate, obtuse, or subcordate; petiole strongly to slightly channeled, puberulent to glabrous at maturity, 3-9 mm long, 0.5-1.5 mm thick; midvein impressed above, prominent below; lateral veins 610, leaving the midvein at an angle of ca. 45 degrees, usually impressed above, prominent below, the venation brochidodromous; blade membranous at maturity, drying dark reddish-brown to grey-green, often rugose at maturity, the surfaces dull, the margin entire or somewhat sinuate. Peduncles uniflorous, solitary in the axils of leaves and bracts, 3-26(-46) mm long, 0.3-0.5 mm wide, sparsely to densely puberulent (rarely glabrous); bracteoles linear, 1-4 mm long, 0.2-0.5 mm wide, puberulent; Calyx-lobes hemiorbicular to oblong-truncate, 2-4.3 mm long, 1.2-3.2 mm wide at base, 0.7-2.5 times as long as wide, densely pubescent within, sparsely to densely pubescent (rarely glabrous) without, some lobes narrowest near the middle; petals obovate, ca. 7 mm long; hypanthium obconic to campanulate, 1.5-2.5 mm long, sparsely to densely puberulent, rarely glabrous; disk 3-3.5 mm across, puberulent; stamens ca. 80-90, 4-7 mm long; anthers ca. 0.5-0.8 mm long; style 4-7 mm long, glabrous; ovary 4-6-locular; ovules 4-7 per locule. Fruit subglobose, black in Venezuela (ex Steyermark, label data) and Trinidad (ex Broadway), yellow in Bolivia (ex Steinbach), ca. 1 cm in diam. Seeds 1-3 in fruits seen, ca. 0.6 mm long including the locule-wall, the wall one gland thick.

  • Discussion

    Campomanesia aromatica is characterized by: usually being a tree that is sparsely to densely puberulent on young growth; caducous leaves that are immature at anthesis; often narrow Calyx-lobes; and rather small flowers with four to six locules. The fruits are reported to be black in northern South America and yellow in Bolivia. Other species have greenish-yellow to orange fruits.

    The Campomanesia xanthocarpa complex to which C. aromatica belongs, is taxonomically difficult, and no treatment would be entirely satisfactory. Lines have been drawn between admittedly very similar groups when morphological differences can be correlated with habitat or geography. This is a compromise between the excessive splitting of the past and the alternative of uniting all the forms into a huge polymorphic species.

    Campomanesia aromatica and C. xanthocarpa may represent the geographic extremes of a cline that stretches from Trinidad to northern Argentina. In Bolivia there is a disjunct population similar to plants in northern South America. The terminal populations of the cline are readily distinguishable and there are very few specimens known from the intermediate region (Bahia, Minas Gerais, Espirito Santo, and Rio de Janeiro). Therefore, in the interest of nomenclatural stability, I have continued to recognize both these species. They are compared directly in Key E.

    According to Glaziou (1905) the type of Campomanesia glazioviana comes from the Serra da Mantiqueira in Minas Gerais. If correct, the collection represents the southern limit of C. aromatica in eastern South America. However, the specimens are very similar to collections made farther north in Brazil, so I suspect an error in the locality.

  • Distribution

    Usually a small tree of savannas and forests. Found in two disjunct areas: 1) from Trinidad through NE South America to coastal Bahia, Brazil; and 2) Bolivia.

    Venezuela South America| Amazonas Venezuela South America| Bolívar Venezuela South America| Monagas Venezuela South America| Sucre Venezuela South America| Trinidad and Tobago South America| Guyana South America| Suriname South America| French Guiana South America| Brazil South America| Amapá Brazil South America| Ceará Brazil South America| Maranhão Brazil South America| Pará Brazil South America| Paraíba Brazil South America| Pernambuco Brazil South America| Rio Grande do Norte Brazil South America| Beni Bolivia South America| La Paz Bolivia South America| Santa Cruz Bolivia South America|