Myrcia de Candolle

Proença, Carolyn E. B., De Oliveira, Marla I. U., Sobral, Marcos & Landim, Myrna F., 2014, Novelties in Myrtaceae: contributions to the Flora of the State of Sergipe, Brazil, Phytotaxa 173 (3), pp. 217-225 : 219

2. Myrcia de Candolle (in de Candolle et al. 1826: 406).

Myrcia is the second largest genus of Myrtaceae in Brazil with 242 species ( Sobral et al. 2013). It is recognized by a cymose paniculate inflorescence in arboreal species (reduced to cymes, thyrses, dichasia or rarely single flowers, usually when shrubby), pentamerous flowers, 2–3-locular ovaries with two ovules per locule and small fruits that usually have a single seed with well-developed cotyledons that are more or less thin and folded and partially encircled by an evident, C-shaped, well-developed hypocotyl ( Landrum & Kawasaki 1997, Sobral 2003, Lucas et al. 2011). Two new species occur in Sergipe and a third, described from Bahia, is believed to also occur in Sergipe.

2.1. Myrcia hirtiflora de Candolle (1828: 249) . Type:— BRAZIL. Bahia. Ad montem altum Serra das Lages, Martius s.n. (Holotype M Image!). Aulomyrcia hirtiflora (de Candolle 1828: 249) Berg (1855: 40) .

Aulomyrcia bullata Berg (1857: 96) nov. syn. Type: — BRAZIL. Bahia, Blanchet 3112 (Lectotype here designated W, Isolectotype OXF!); Luschnath 110 (Syntype B–destroyed; Isosyntype HAL Image!). Myrcia neobullata Mattos (2008: 1) .

Aulomyrcia bullata var. oblongata Berg (1859: 547) . nov. syn. Type: — BRAZIL. Bahia. In fruticetis prope Ilheos [Ilhéus]. 1832, Blanchet 1890 (Lectotype here designated W, Isolectotypes, F Image! MICH Image! OXF!); Syntypes, Luschnath s.n. (LE), Riedel s.n. (LE).

Comments:— Until very recently ( Govaerts et al. 2008), we believed this species to be a synonym of Myrcia tomentosa (Aublet 1755: 504) de Candolle (1828: 245) . The inflorescence is similar in both species. Leaf shape in M. tomentosa is highly variable and the type of M. hirtiflora has few leaves. High resolution images of the type of M. hirtiflora , recently made available by the Botanische Staatssammlung München Herbarium (M), show beyond a doubt that this is the oldest name available for this species, common in Restinga vegetation of Bahia and Sergipe. Therefore, M. neobullata the name currently in use, becomes a superfluous name and synonym of M. hirtiflora . The Lista de Espécies da Flora do Brasil ( Sobral et al. 2013) recognizes that these names relate to the same species, but treats M. hirtiflora as a synonym of M. neobullata which goes against the principle of priority, since M. hirtiflora , published in 1828, predates Aulomyrcia bullata , the basionym of M. neobullata , by nearly 30 years. The situation has been further complicated by the name M. pubiflora de Candolle (1828: 249) , a synonym of M. tomentosa , being sometimes misapplied to this species.