Maytenus phyllanthoides var. phyllanthoides

Common names: Florida mayten
Illustrated
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 12. Treatment on page 127.
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Illustrator:

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Shrubs or trees 1–7 m. Stems erect to spreading. Leaves: petiole 2–6 mm; blade obovate, 1.5–5 (–6) × 1–2.5 (–3.5) cm, base cuneate, margins entire, sometimes wavy, apex rounded.


Phenology: Flowering early spring–summer; fruiting summer–winter.
Habitat: Hammocks, dunes, edges of mangrove forests.
Elevation: 0–10 m.

Distribution

V12 56-distribution-map.jpg

Fla., Mexico, West Indies (Bahamas), West Indies (Cuba)

Discussion

In the flora area, var. phyllanthoides occurs along the Gulf coast of peninsular Florida from Levy County south and on the Atlantic coast in Miami-Dade County and the Keys. The leaves yield a gum that has been used as a substitute for gutta-percha, a rubberlike substance derived from Palaquium Blanco spp. (Sapotaceae) of southeast Asia and used in dentistry and historically for electrical insulation and golf balls.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.
rounded +
bright red +
Jinshuang Ma +  and Geoffrey A. Levin +
Bentham +
cuneate +
5 cm50 mm <br />0.05 m <br /> (6 cm60 mm <br />0.06 m <br />) +
2.5 cm25 mm <br />0.025 m <br /> (3.5 cm35 mm <br />0.035 m <br />) +
1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br /> (5 cm50 mm <br />0.05 m <br />) +
1-veined +, palmate +  and pinnate +
pinnate +, serrate +  and entire +
obovate +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (2.5 cm25 mm <br />0.025 m <br />) +
spreading +  and erect +
0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br /> (1.2 cm12 mm <br />0.012 m <br />) +
0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br /> (0.6 cm6 mm <br />0.006 m <br />) +
Florida mayten +
Fla. +, Mexico +, West Indies (Bahamas) +  and West Indies (Cuba) +
0–10 m. +
pistillate +  and staminate +
bisexual +  and unisexual +
2-4-angled +  and obovoid +
Hammocks, dunes, edges of mangrove forests. +
adnate +  and free +
axillary +  and terminal +
bisexual +  and unisexual +
persistent +
intrastaminal +
parietal +, axile +  and placentation +
1 +  and 2 +
greenish white +  and white +
distinct +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (?) +  and 0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br /> (?) +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (0.6 cm6 mm <br />0.006 m <br />) +
Flowering early spring–summer +  and fruiting summer–winter. +
2-4-carpellate +
Bot. Voy. Sulphur, +
ellipsoid +
distinct +
rounded +
Illustrated +
free-inserted +
not gland-tipped +
erect +  and spreading +
2 +  and 4 +
Tricerma phyllanthoides +
Maytenus phyllanthoides var. phyllanthoides +
Maytenus phyllanthoides +
variety +
evergreen +, deciduous +, perennial +  and annual +
tree +  and shrub +
polygamomonoecious +