Myrcia florida Lemaire (1853: 100)

Santos, Matheus F., Amorim, Bruno S., Burton, George P., Faria, Jair E. Q., Fernandes, Thiago, Flickinger, Jonathan A., Gaem, Paulo Henrique, Landrum, Leslie R., Lima, Duane F., Proença, Carolyn E. B., Rosa, Priscila O., Lima-Dos-Santos, Leidiana, Setubal, Robberson B., Stadnik, Aline M. S., Staggemeier, Vanessa G., Vasconcelos, Thais N. C. & Lucas, Eve J., 2024, A taxonomic account of Myrciinae (Myrteae, Myrtaceae): generic and sectional placement of forgotten species and a list of all accepted species, Phytotaxa 674 (2), pp. 129-170 : 142-143

5.4.1. Myrcia florida Lemaire (1853: 100) . Type:— BRAZIL. Rio de Janeiro, Maricá, “Mareca,Près de Praya-

Grande”, unknown date, unknown collector (specimen probably lost). Lectotype:—The original illustration of

Lemaire’s publication (1853: page 101), designated here. Epitype:— BRAZIL. Rio de Janeiro, Maricá, Restinga de

Maricá, between ocean and Lagoa de Marica, ca. 40 km E of Rio de Janeiro, 21 January 1982, L.R. Landrum 4177

( epitype NY [image!], designated here; isoepitypes MBM [image!], MO, RB [image!], US [image!]) .

= Gomidesia fenzliana O. Berg (1857 –1859: 20). Gomidesia fenzliana var. obovata O. Berg (1857: 20) , nom. illeg. Gomidesia fenzliana var. spathulata O. Berg (1857 –1859: 20), nom. illeg. Myrcia ilheosensis Kiaersk. (1893: 109) , syn. nov.

= Aulomyrcia trichantha Wawra (1879: 215) . Myrcia trichantha (Wawra) Sobral (2017: 199) , syn. nov.

According to the protologue, Myrcia florida is a shrub that occurs on Brazilian ‘restinga’ (coastal tropical and subtropical forest or scrub on sandy soils). The plant described and illustrated by Lemaire (1853) has relatively short petioles, ovate leaf blades, inflorescences in multi-branched panicles with peduncles longer than the main axes, flowers with the calyx composed of five rounded-acute, erect and imbricate lobes, and ovaries with three locules. Both description and illustration of Myrcia florida match M. trichantha , a very common shrubby species in the restingas of Rio de Janeiro that belongs to Myrcia sect. Gomidesia . The illustration is of a plant similar to one of the syntypes of Gomidesia fenzliana (Martius 683 at K) in almost every respect. In addition, the fruits are described as spherical and longitudinally ridged, an unusual feature in the section that occurs only in Myrcia florida , M. crocea Kiaerskou (1893: 105) , and M. warmingiana Kiaerskou (1893: 105) . This evidence allows us to conclude that Lemaire’s name is the earliest available epithet for the taxon recognized up to now as Myrcia trichantha , which is synonymized here.

Lemaire (1853) did not cite any type specimen or herbarium where it might be deposited, despite writing that he had received a double sample of dry and fresh material. As a result, we choose his illustration as the lectotype. Additionally, the material NY00594967 (collection Landrum 4177, from the municipality of Maricá) is elected for epitype of this species. Among other candidates, this flowering collection has four duplicates, and matches the illustration in having a similar leaf shape and size, and inflorescences of equivalent length.Additionally, it was collected in restinga vegetation in the Maricá municipality.