''Myrcianthes pungens'', the guabiyu, is a species of
plant
Plants are predominantly photosynthetic eukaryotes of the kingdom Plantae. Historically, the plant kingdom encompassed all living things that were not animals, and included algae and fungi; however, all current definitions of Plantae exclud ...
in the family
Myrtaceae
Myrtaceae, the myrtle family, is a family of dicotyledonous plants placed within the order Myrtales. Myrtle, pōhutukawa, bay rum tree, clove, guava, acca (feijoa), allspice, and eucalyptus are some notable members of this group. All speci ...
. It is native to
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
and
Uruguay
Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...
.
Description
''Myrcianthes pungens'' is a medium sized tree, up to 10 m high, with a not very compact cup, with a lot of pubescent branches. The leaves are alternate, petiole, stiff, oval oblong, obtuse and acuminate, 4–7 cm, with a strong green color on the outside and lighter on the underside. It has rough bark of light brown color with abundant removable scales of the bark. Internally the bark has a whitish color, and when cut, emits a soft aroma. The flowers are tiny, whitish, abundant and aromatic.
It presents small, globose fruits, 1 cm in diameter, dark purple when they reach maturity, with sweet and edible pulp and a large seed. It blooms from September to October and bears from November to January. It is found in the Paraguayan departments of Guaira and Caaguazú and in the Cordillera department.
Distribution
It is cultivated as an ornamental plant in parks and gardens, being able as a shrub for colorful fences. The leaves can be used scattered on the ground in areas where flies abound, since when crushed they release a resin that drives them away.
See also
*''
Myrcianthes coquimbensis
''Myrcianthes coquimbensis'', commonly called lucumillo, is an evergreen shrub of the genus ''Myrcianthes'' of the family Myrtaceae. It is endemic to the Coquimbo Region of Chile and is considered to be endangered. Produces an edible fruit.
Desc ...
''
*''
Myrcianthes rhopaloides''
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q5474111
Flora of Brazil
Flora of Uruguay
pungens
Endangered plants
Taxonomy articles created by Polbot