Psidium

Echeverría, María L., Alonso, Sara I. & Comparatore, Viviana M., 2017, Survey of the vascular plants of Sierra Chica, the untouched area of the Paititi Natural Reserve (southeastern Tandilia mountain range, Buenos Aires province, Argentina), Check List 13 (6), pp. 1003-1036 : 1022-1023

Genus Psidium L.

Psidium salutare (H.B.K.) O. Berg var. mucronatum

(Cambess.) Landrum

Figure 26

Psidium salutare (H. B. K.) O. Berg var. mucronatum (Cambess.) Landrum (2003) : 1463 — Flora Argentina (2017); Tropicos (2017).

Psidium luridum (Sprengel) Burret (1941) : 484 — Cabrera (1965a): 305.

Myrtus mucronata Cambessèdes ex A. St. Hilaire (1829) : 294.

Myrtus salutaris Kunth ex H.B.K (1823): 132.

Cryptophytes, native with distribution in the Southern Cone Region of South America.

Characteristics. Aromatic, dwarf shrub, to 10–50 cm tall, with rhizomes and many creeping branches. Leaves opposite, elliptic, with apex acuminate. Flowers solitary, axillary, with 5 white petals, 5 sepals, numerous stamens; pedicels shorter than leaves. Fruit: a globose, green to red berry with persistent calyx.

Comments. This is a frequent species in the study area. It grows in shallow soils and in rock cracks on summits and in bare and grassy slopes. In mountain ranges it grows as a small shrub, to 20 cm tall. It is the only species of Psidium occurring in Buenos Aires province. It is recognized from other species of Mirtaceae by its creeping form and the number of sepals.