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Family:

Melastomataceae (Magnoliophyta)

Primary Citation:

Monogr. Phan. 7: 932. 1891

Accepted Name:

This name is currently accepted.

Description:

Description Author and Date: Walter S. Judd, 2010, based on Judd, W. S. (2007). Revision of Miconia sect. Chaenopleura (Melastomataceae) in the Greater Antilles. Systematic Botany Monographs 81:1-235.

Type: DOMINICAN REPUBLIC. Without definite locality. Eggers 2319 (holotype: possibly BR, not seen).

Description: Shrub to 2 m tall. Indumentum of multicellular, ± persistent, minute-globular hairs and whitish, appressed cobweb-like, branched hairs, the latter very quickly deciduous and/or degenerating. Young twigs not ridged, ± square to rectangular or elliptic, with a V-shaped to U-shaped longitudinal groove (running along middle portion of sides facing leaves of adjacent lower node) in cross-section, 1-4 mm wide, becoming ± terete with age, usually glabrous or nearly so, with indumentum of very sparse minute-globular hairs, especially in or near groove, with a few appressed branched hairs evident in very young shoots; internodes 0.7-6.5 (-8.5) cm long. Leaves with petiole 3-19 mm long, the indumentum with a few minute-globular hairs adaxially; blade 2.1-10 cm long, 0.7-3.3 cm wide, ovate to elliptic, V-folded and falcate (to nearly flat), coriaceous, the apex acuminate, the base acute or cuneate to obtuse, the margin plane to slightly revolute, serrate to serrulate, obscurely serrulate, or nearly entire, proximal 15-95% of margin entire, the largest teeth 0.05-0.4 mm long, not associated with long-stalked hairs; venation acrodromous, ± basal, with prominent midvein and 4 secondary veins, with 2 conspicuous secondary veins placed 1-4 mm in from margin, and numerous percurrent tertiary veins oriented subperpendicular to midvein, the tertiary veins usually separated by composite inter-tertiary veins, but sometimes connected by a few quaternary veins, and the higher order veins orthogonal-reticulate; adaxial surface green, essentially glabrous, initially with a few appressed-cobwebby branched hairs but these very quickly deciduous, with a few minute-globular hairs ± persisting on midvein, especially proximal portion, and sometimes with two longitudinal rows of conical bumps, the midvein and major secondary veins slightly to strongly impressed, minor secondary veins ± flat, tertiary veins slightly impressed to flat, and higher order veins flat, the surface with numerous druse crystals and appearing minutely papillose to wrinkled-papillose when dried; abaxial surface pale green, but turning bright yellow to yellow green when dried (occasionally younger leaves blue-black when dried), sparsely to moderately covered with minute-globular hairs, the midvein prominently raised, major secondary veins prominently to slightly raised, minor secondary veins very slightly raised to flat, tertiary and higher order veins flat.

Description (cont.): Inflorescences many-flowered, paniculate cymes of (2-) 3 to 5 branch-pairs, 1.6-7.8 cm long, 1.3-5 cm across; proximal segment of lowermost inflorescence branches 0.4-1.3 cm long, distal internodes shorter, ultimate branches 1-4 mm long, and flowers thus well separated from each other, glabrous, or with a very few minute-globular hairs at nodes, initially with a few mainly appressed, branched hairs, especially near nodes, but these usually very quickly deciduous; peduncle 0.7-3.4 cm long, with similar indumentum; each inflorescence branch associated with caducous to tardily deciduous, ovate to obovate bract, 3.8-19 mm long, 1.5-4 mm wide, sometimes drying blue-black, the apices acute, the lowermost pair often leaf-like; flowers in dichasia, well separated from each other, each subtended by 2 deciduous to tardily deciduous, obovate to ± elliptic bracteoles, 2.7-6.5 mm long, 0.8-3.4 mm wide, essentially glabrous, their apices acute to obtuse; bract and bracteoles green and red-tinged to red, usually still present toward inflorescence apex when lower flowers are blooming. Flowers sessile to shortly pedicellate; pedicel ±0-0.5 mm. Hypanthium cylindrical, free portion 0.85-1.4 mm long, the outer surface with sparse to moderate minute-globular hairs, sometimes also with a few appressed, branched hairs, but these usually quickly deciduous, the inner surface glabrous and unridged or only very slightly 10-ridged, the apices of the ridges lacking apical projections. External calyx lobes 5, 0.3-0.8 mm long, 1.2-2 mm wide, triangular to broadly so, with ± acuminate apex, with indumentum similar to that of hypanthium, or ± glabrous; internal calyx lobes 5, 0.4-0.9 mm long, 1.2-2 mm wide, broadly triangular to ovate-triangular, green to red-tinged, glabrous, the apex rounded, the margin entire and fringed with a few short, papillae-like hairs; calyx tube 0.3-0.6 mm long. Petals 5, 2-3.2 mm long, 1.7-2.6 mm wide, broadly ovate to elliptic, glabrous, white or white with pink tinge toward apex; margin entire. Stamens 10, geniculate; proximal segment 1.4-2.5 mm long, distal segment 2.1-3.1 long, with minute dorsal bump, the anther 1.4-2 mm long, with fertile portion of anther sacs 1.2-1.7 mm long, slightly sagittate at base, the connective/distal part of filament extended 0.6-1.3 mm beyond the base of anther sacs. Ovary (2-) 3- (4-) locular, ± 3/4- to nearly completely inferior, 1.3-2.7 mm long, 1.8-2.6 mm in diameter, subglobose or globose to obovoid, apically glabrous, slightly 10-ridged, with slightly lobed apical projection to 0.1-0.2 mm encircling base of style; style 2.8-5.6 mm long, glabrous; stigma truncate. Berries 5-6 mm long, 5-6.5 mm in diameter, globose to subglobose, red when immature, and turning pale blue, eventually ± white, glabrous or with very sparse minute-globular hairs. Seeds 0.8-1.2 mm long, angular-obovoid; testa ± smooth. Figs. 31, 32.

Habitat and Distribution: Hispaniola, Cordillera Central (of the Dominican Republic) and the Massif du Nord (of Haiti); moist forests of Pinus occidentalis, cloud forests, and thickets; (1000-) 1200-2500 (-3125) m. Associated melastomes include Calycogonium sp., Clidemia angustilamina, Miconia basilensis, M. dielsiana, M. fuertesii, M. viscidula, Tetrazygia crotonifolia, and T. longicollis Urb. & Cogn.; see also Urban (1909) and Ciferri (1936).

Phenology: Flowering throughout the year, but least frequently from July through September.

Taxonomy and Systematics: Miconia krugii is most closely related to M. stenobotrys and M. samanensis. These species are members of the falcate-leaved clade (see discussion under M. quadrangularis). Miconia krugii is distinguished from M. samanensis by its narrowly and longitudinally grooved (vs. non-grooved) twigs, leaves that turn yellow (vs. dull green to brown, and often red-tinged) upon drying, the lack of stellate hairs on the abaxial leaf surface (vs. a few such hairs, although these quickly deciduous), shorter hypanthia, i.e., 0.8-1.4 mm long (vs. 1.3-2.2 mm long) that are unridged or only slightly 10-ridged on the inner surface (vs. 20-ridged), and more or less white (vs. pale blue) berries. Miconia krugii can be differentiated from M. stenobotrys by its narrowly and longitudinally grooved twigs (vs. non-grooved, but often with U-shaped flanges), leaves that turn yellow (vs. dull green to brown) upon drying, the lack of more or less stellate hairs on the abaxial leaf surface (vs. a few branched hairs, although these matted and quickly deciduous), the lack of pouch domatia in the axils of the midvein and major secondary veins, shorter inflorescences, the primary axis with 3 to 5 branch-pairs and these cymose (vs. elongate, with the primary axis having 3-13 branch pairs, and each of these raceme-like), and more or less white (vs. pale blue) berries. Miconia krugii, M. stenobotrys, and M. stenobotrys all grow in the Cordillera Central, but M. krugii is ecologically isolated from both because it occurs at higher elevations, in typically moister forests. It is usually found at elevations between 1200 and 2500 m, while M. samanensis grows from 200-950 m, and M. stenobotrys from 550-1400 m. Although their elevational ranges overlap, I have never found M. krugii growing with either of these species.