Lyonia brachytricha Urban, Repert. Sp. Nov. 18: 21. 1922.  Type.  Cuba.  Oriente: nr. Baracoa, toward Florida, 18 Nov 1914, Ekman 3502 (holotype, S; frag. of holotype, NY).

    Evergreen shrub or small tree to ca. 6 m tall, with grayish or brownish, longitudinally forrowed bark; twigs moderately to slightly angled, slender, moderately lepidote, otherwise densely pubescent; buds ovoid, 1-2 x 0.8-1.6 mm.  Leaf blades elliptic to widely elliptic, obovate, or ovate, 2-7(-8.5) x 1.2-4(-5.5) cm, ± flat, coriaceous, ca. 0.3-0.37 mm thick; base attenuate or narrowly cuneate to rounded; apex usually rounded or truncate, occasionally acute or obtuse; margin plane to slightly revolute, apical portion entire to very obscurely and irregularly toothed, basal portion entire; venation brochidodromous, 3o veins ± reticulate; adaxial surface lepidote but scales usually quickly deciduous, densely pubescent on midvein, especially basal portion, often sparsely pubescent on 2o and some 3o veins, the 3o and higher order veins visible, the 2o veins slightly raised, with interconnections usually clearly evident; abaxial surface moderately lepidote, otherwise glabrous, often very sparsely pubescent on basal portion of midvein (and on some 2o veins) but not on lamina surface, the 3o and higher order veins flat or nearly so, slightly and laxly reticulate, the 2o veins raised and visible; scales rust colored, usually persistent, ca. 0.07-0.2 mm in diameter, entire to erose; petiole 4-17 mm long, lepidote, otherwise pubescent all around; flower buds ± intermixed with vegetative buds.  Inflorescences fasciculate (shortly racemose), 4- to 15-flowered; pedicels clearly to only weakly articulated with calyx, slender, 5-12 mm long, lepidote, otherwise sparsely to densely pubescent; bracteoles subopposite to alternate, nearly basal, narrowly triangular, 0.5-1.4 mm long; floral bracts to ca. 2 mm long.  Flowers (4-)5-(-6)-merous; calyx lobes triangular, with acuminate to acute apices, 1.4-2.5 x 0.8-1.5 mm, adaxial side glabrous to densely pubescent, especially near apex, abaxial side lepidote, otherwise usually sparsely to moderately pubescent, especially near base; corolla long-urceolate, white to occasionally tinged pink, 4.5-7 x 2.4-4 mm, abaxially moderately to occasionally densely lepidote (also very sparsely pubescent); filaments roughened, 2.5-4 mm long, usually with pair of spurs to ca. 0.13 mm long just below anther-filament junction, anthers ca. 1-1.5 mm long; ovary lepidote, otherwise pubescent, placentae ± subapical.  Capsules ovoid to ellipsoid, with ± convex valves, 4.5-8.5 x 3.5-5 mm, lepidote, otherwise densely to moderately pubescent, the pale, very thick sutures separating as unit from adjacent valves; seeds 2-3.5 mm long.

    Distribution.  Endemic to Cuba (mountains of N Oriente from Sierra de Nipe to Moa-Baracoa region), in thickets, rocky areas, wooded stream banks, forests of Pinus cubensis.  Flowering chiefly June through August.

    Local names.  sangre de toro (Roig, 1965).