Lyonia oblongata Urban, Repert. Sp. Nov. 22: 47. 1925. Type. Cuba. Oriente: nr. Baracoa in carrascales along Río Joa [Toa], 1914, Ekman 3678 (holotype, S; isotype, NY).Evergreen shrub to small tree to ca. 5 m tall, with grayish to brownish, longitudinally furrowed bark; twigs moderately to slightly angled, slender, sparsely lepidote, otherwise densely to sparsely pubescent; buds ovoid, ca. 1 x 0.8-1 mm. Leaf blades elliptic, widely elliptic, to obovate or ovate, 1.2-7.8 x 0.6-6 cm, flat to slightly or strongly recurved, often strongly coriaceous, ca. 0.45-0.56 mm thick; base broadly cuneate to rounded; apex rounded or truncate; margin slightly to strongly revolute, apical portion entire to sinuous or occasionally very obscurely toothed, basal portion entire; venation brochidodromous, 3o reticulate, adaxial surface lepidote, but scales usually quickly deciduous, sparsely pubescent on basal portion of midvein, 3o and higher order veins visible to less commonly obscure, midvein usually slightly to strongly depressed, 2o veins often slightly to strongly depressed, abaxial surface sparsely lepidote, otherwise glabrous (very sparsely pubescent on midvein near petiole), the 3o and higher order veins ± flat and obscure to slightly and laxly reticulate, much less prominent than 2o veins, the 2o veins raised and visible; scales rust colored, persistent to deciduous, ca. 0.12-0.17 mm in diameter, ± entire; petiole 2-9 mm long, lepidote, otherwise pubescent all around or less commonly only adaxially; flower buds ± intermixed with vegetative buds. Inflorescences fasciculate, ca. 1- to 8-flowered; pedicels clearly to only weakly articulated with calyx, slender, 3-25 mm long, lepidote, otherwise sparsely to densely pubescent; bracteoles subopposite to alternate, near base of pedicel, narrowly triangular, 0.5-1.5 mm long; floral bracts to ca. 2 mm long. Flowers (4-)5-(-6)-merous; calyx lobes triangular, with acuminate to acute apices, 1.3-2.5(-3) x 0.7-1.7 mm, the adaxial side often sparsely lepidote near margins, otherwise sparsely pubescent, especially near apex, the abaxial side lepidote, sometimes densely so, otherwise glabrous to moderately pubescent near base; corolla long-urceolate, white to pink, occasionally reddish toward mouth, 5-7 x 3.5-5(-6) mm, abaxially moderately to densely lepidote, thus appearing golden; filaments roughened, 2.7-4 mm long, usually with very short spurs to ca. 0.1 mm long near anther-filament junction; anthers 0.8-1.5 mm long; ovary lepidote, otherwise pubescent, placentae ± subapical. Capsules ovoid, usually with straight-sided valves, 4.5-10 x 3.5-7 mm, lepidote, otherwise moderately to densely pubescent, the pale, very thick sutures separating as unit from adjacent valves; seeds 1.5-4 mm long.Lyonia lippoldii Berazaín & Bisse, Rev. Jard. Bot. Nac. 8: 3. 1987. Type. Baracoa, Altiplano de la Mina Iberia, between Mirador and Río Jaguaní, montane rain forest, 14 Apr 1985, A. Alvarez et al. 56042 (holotype, HAJB, n.v.; isotypes, HAJB, n.v., JE, n.v., NHU, n.v.; frag. of isotype, FLAS).
Distribution. Endemic to Cuba (Prov. Oriente,
mountains S and W of Baracoa, Sierra de Moa, Sierra de Toa, Sierra de Imías,
Sierra del Pural, and Cuchillas de Baracoa), in thickets and forests of
Pinus cubensis, at ca. 350(?)-900(?) m elev. Flowering December
to June.