Myrcia skortzoviana (Mattos) E.Lucas & C.E.Wilson

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 : 134

2.2. Myrcia skortzoviana (Mattos) E.Lucas & C.E.Wilson (in Lucas et al. 2016: 693). Marlierea (= Myrcia ) subulata Mattos (1967: 332) , nom. illeg. Marlierea skortzoviana Mattos (1971: 1) . Type:— BRAZIL. São Paulo, Santo André, Paranapiacaba, Estação Biológica (viação férrea São Paulo-Santos), 3 March 1964, Mattos 11839 (holotype SP!).

The Myrtaceae genera Plinia Linnaeus (1753: 516) and Marlierea are currently treated in distinct subtribes within tribe Myrteae ( Pliniinae and Myrciinae , respectively), but they share morphological similarities, such as closed floral buds with small (or nearly absent) calyx lobes that open tearing vertically. Many species currently placed in Plinia were first described in Marlierea in the past, when calyx features were crucial in generic circumscription of Neotropical Myrtaceae ( Berg 1857 –1859, McVaugh 1968). For instance, the genus Rubachia O. Berg (1855 –1856: 5), traditionally associated with Myrciinae , is a currently synonym of Plinia ( Santos & Lucas 2019) .

This is the case of Myrcia skortzoviana , which has inflorescence structure (botryoid-like inflorescence without terminal dichasia, instead of panicle-like inflorescence with terminal dichasia of Myrcia ), and floral bud morphology (calyx lobes deflexed after anthesis instead of patent or nearly so) typical of Plinia . However, Myrcia skortzoviana has a myrcioid embryo, which is recorded for Myrciinae and Luminae but not in Pliniinae ( Lucas et al. 2019) . As in the case of Myrcia cionei , a phylogenetic analysis is needed to clarify the generic placement of this species.