Prunus myrtifolia

(Linnaeus) Urban

Symb. Antill. 5: 93. 1904.

Common names: West Indies or myrtle laurel cherry
Basionym: Celastrus myrtifolius Linnaeus Sp. Pl. 1: 196. 1753
Synonyms: Lauro-cerasus myrtifolia (Linnaeus) Britton
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 9. Treatment on page 361. Mentioned on page 355.

Trees, not suckering, 60–120 dm, not thorny. Twigs with terminal end buds, glabrous. Leaves persistent; petiole 8–16 mm, glabrous, eglandular; blade elliptic to broadly elliptic, 4–10 × 2–4.5 (–6.5) cm, base cuneate, obtuse, or nearly rounded, margins undulate, entire, apex acute to acuminate, apicula obtuse, surfaces glabrous, abaxial glandular, glands 2, proximal, flat, circular to oval. Inflorescences 12–30-flowered, racemes; central axes (11–) 20–50 mm, leafless at bases. Pedicels (2–) 3–6 mm, glabrous. Flowers usually bisexual, proximal sometimes staminate, blooming before leaf emergence; hypanthium cupulate, 1.5–2.5 mm, glabrous externally; sepals spreading, semicircular, 0.5–0.8 mm, margins usually entire, occassionally with a glandular tooth, surfaces glabrous; petals white, obovate to suborbiculate, 1.5 mm; ovaries glabrous. Drupes purple-black, globose to ± ovoid, 8–12 mm, glabrous; mesocarps leathery; stones subglobose, not flattened.


Phenology: Flowering Nov–Jan; fruiting Mar–Jun.
Habitat: Hammocks, pinelands
Elevation: 0–10 m

Distribution

V9 583-distribution-map.jpg

Fla., Mexico, West Indies, Central America, South America

Discussion

Prunus myrtifolia, when compared with P. caroliniana, has flowers more widely spaced on longer rachises and pedicels, and flowers in the winter rather than the spring. The leaves of P. myrtifolia are broader on average, and their apices are blunt at the tip; the fruits are more rounded at the apices with smaller apicula.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.
... more about "Prunus myrtifolia"
acute;acuminate +
Joseph R. Rohrer +
(Linnaeus) Urban +
dark gray +, gray-brown +, reddish-brown +  and reddish +
compound +  and simple +
opposite +  and alternate +
rounded +, obtuse +  and cuneate +
Celastrus myrtifolius +
elliptic +  and elliptic to broadly +
4.5 cm45 mm <br />0.045 m <br /> (6.5 cm65 mm <br />0.065 m <br />) +
4 cm40 mm <br />0.04 m <br /> (10 cm100 mm <br />0.1 m <br />) +
rhombic +, fan--shaped +, spatulate +, oblanceolate +, obovate +, linear +, lanceolate +, ovate +, suborbiculate +, oblong +  and elliptic +
0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br /> (18 cm180 mm <br />0.18 m <br />) +
membranous +  and leathery +
2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br /> (?) +  and 4.5 cm45 mm <br />0.045 m <br /> (?) +
free +  and distinct +
1.1 cm11 mm <br />0.011 m <br /> (2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br />) +
2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br /> (5 cm50 mm <br />0.05 m <br />) +
West Indies or myrtle laurel cherry +
solitary +, fascicles +, 2-flowered +  and umbellate +
Fla. +, Mexico +, West Indies +, Central America +  and South America +
not +  and aggregated +
3 cm30 mm <br />0.03 m <br /> (8 cm80 mm <br />0.08 m <br />) +
purple-black +
globose +  and more or less ovoid +
0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br /> (1.2 cm12 mm <br />0.012 m <br />) +
0–10 m +
flattened +
hairy +  and glabrous +
0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br /> (4 cm40 mm <br />0.04 m <br />) +
not +  and aggregated +
not +  and aggregated +
not +  and aggregated +
Hammocks, pinelands +
persistent +  and deciduous +
0.15 cm1.5 mm <br />0.0015 m <br /> (0.25 cm2.5 mm <br />0.0025 m <br />) +
crassinucellate +
persistent +
undulate +
inferior +  and superior +
biseriate +  and clustered +
collateral +  and apical +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br />) +
0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br /> (0.6 cm6 mm <br />0.006 m <br />) +
0 (?) +  and 4 (?) +
free +  and distinct +
obovate;suborbiculate +
1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br /> (?) +
0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br /> (1.6 cm16 mm <br />0.016 m <br />) +
Flowering Nov–Jan +  and fruiting Mar–Jun. +
adnate +, free +, connate +  and distinct +
circular +  and oval +
Symb. Antill. +
not arillate +
free +  and distinct +
obovate +, lanceolate +, ovate-elliptic +, oblong +, ovate +, semicircular +  and triangular +
0.05 cm0.5 mm <br />5.0e-4 m <br /> (0.08 cm0.8 mm <br />8.0e-4 m <br />) +
free +  and distinct +
branched +  and simple +
1 +  and 20 +
linear;lanceolate +
not flattened +  and subglobose +
deciduous +
distinct +
basal +, lateral +, subterminal +  and terminal +
not elongate +
Lauro-cerasus myrtifolia +
Prunus myrtifolia +
species +
inconspicuous +
tree +  and not suckering +
hairy +  and glabrous +