Taxon Details: Miconia macayana Judd & Skean
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Family:
Melastomataceae (Magnoliophyta)
Melastomataceae (Magnoliophyta)
Scientific Name:
Miconia macayana Judd & Skean
Miconia macayana Judd & Skean
Primary Citation:
Bull. Florida State Mus., Biol. Sci. 32(1): 145. 1987
Bull. Florida State Mus., Biol. Sci. 32(1): 145. 1987
Accepted Name:
This name is currently accepted.
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: HAITI. Department du Sud: Massif de la Hotte, Parc National Pic Macaya, open pine forest/cloud forest on southern slope of Pic Macaya, ca 2150-2200 m elev., fl, 7 Jun 1984, J. D. Skean, Jr. 1428 (holotype: FLAS!; isotypes: A!, JBSD!, NY!).
Description: Shrub to ca 2.5 m tall. Indumentum a densely tangled mat of ferrugineous, fasciculate, multicellular hairs. Young twigs obscurely 4-angled, ± rectangular, 3-4 mm wide, becoming terete with age, the indumentum dense; internodes 1.1-3.5 (-7) cm long. Leaves with petiole 3-5 (-9) mm long, with dense indumentum; blade (2.5-) 3.4-7.3 (-8.6) cm long, 1.5-3.8 (-4.8) cm wide, ovate, flat or slightly abaxially inrolled, often slightly undulate, extremely coriaceous, the apex acute to slightly obtuse or acuminate, the base rounded to cordate, the margin plane to revolute, conspicuously crenate, the largest teeth 0.7-2 mm long; venation acrodromous, basal, with a prominent midvein and 4 secondary veins, the 2 secondary veins inconspicuous in smaller leaves, the more prominent secondary veins placed 2-8 mm in from margin, and numerous percurrent tertiary veins oriented subperpendicular to midvein, the tertiary veins joined by percurrent-orthogonal quaternary veins; adaxial surface dark green, for the most part glabrous, but with some matted, ferrugineous hairs persisting in vein impressions and near apex and base, midvein and secondary veins prominently impressed, tertiary veins less conspicuously impressed; abaxial surface brown, densely covered with a tangled mat of ferrugineous, fasciculate, multicellular hairs, midvein and 2 larger secondary veins prominently raised, 2 smaller secondary veins less conspicuously raised, tertiary veins slightly raised, higher order veins slightly raised. Inflorescences paniculate, with 2-4 branch-pairs, 1.3-5.2 cm long, 1.5-3.5 cm across, the heads sessile or with stalks to ca 13 mm long, each containing 6-18 flowers, representing a reduced aggregation of usually 3-flowered dichasia, the axes all with dense, matted indumentum; peduncle 1.4-4 cm long; heads subtended by a lingulate, cartilaginous bract, 4-9 mm long, 3-6 mm wide, with an obtuse apex and an abaxially dense indumentum, the lowermost pair sometimes expanded and leaf-like; flowers in dichasia, each flower associated with a pair of narrowly elliptic bracteoles, 3.7-3.8 mm long, 1.7-3.7 mm wide, the indumentum similar to that of the bract subtending head, their apices obtuse. Flowers sessile. Hypanthium slightly obconical, weakly 5-angled, free portion ca 1.3 mm long, the outer surface with dense, matted, ferrugineous indumentum, the inner surface glabrous. External calyx lobes 5, ca 0.8 mm long, ca 1.2 mm wide, triangular with acute apex, with dense and fringing indumentum; internal calyx lobes 5, ca 1 mm long, ca 1.2 mm wide, lingulate, the apex rounded, the margin minutely erose, glabrous; calyx tube nearly lacking. Petals 5, ca 2.6 mm long, ca 1.8 mm wide, slightly obovate, white, glabrous; margin minutely erose. Stamens 10, geniculate, white; the proximal segment ca 2.2 mm long; distal segment ca 2.3-2.7 mm long, with minute dorsal projection, the anther 1.8-2 mm long, with fertile portion of anther sacs ca 1.2 mm long, the connective/distal part of filament extending ca 0.5-1 mm beyond the base of anther sacs. Ovary 5-loculate, ± inferior, ca 1.1 mm long, 1.8-2.9 mm in diameter, broadly conical, glabrous, with minute apical projections, to ca 0.7 mm long, encircling base of style; style ca 3.5 mm long, cylindrical, glabrous; stigma concave to truncate. Berries not seen. Seeds not seen. Fig. 51.
Habitat and Distribution: Hispaniola (Haiti), Massif de la Hotte, southern slope of Pic Macaya and ridge of Morne Formon; on exposed ridges in moist forests of Pinus occidentalis and adjacent cloud forests; ca 2100-2200 m. These interesting high elevation forests of the Massif de la Hotte are described in Judd (1987). No other melastomes grow on these exposed ridges, but in nearby forests several others occur, especially Miconia barkeri, M. hypiodes, and several species of Mecranium (see Skean 1993); associated species are listed in Judd and Skean (1987) and Judd (1987).
Phenology: The flowering period is poorly known, and flowering specimens have been collected only in February and June.
Taxonomy and Systematics: Miconia macayana is most closely related to M. rigidissima, and both are restricted to the highest elevation forests of southern Haiti. The characters distinguishing the two species are outlined in the discussion under M. rigidissima. Miconia macayana is especially distinctive because of its very coriaceous leaves with frequently cordate leaf bases, conspicuously crenate margins (i.e., the individual crenations 0.7-2 mm long), and 4 secondary veins. The two species are allopatric, with M. macayana occurring only in the Massif de la Hotte, in the vicinity of Pic Macaya and Pic Formon, and M. rigidissima in the highest elevations of the Massif de la Selle. Both are characteristic of open, often rocky habitats, dominated by low shrubs. Miconia macayana was described from flowering material (Judd and Skean 1987); since its description it has been re-collected by J. Dan Skean, but fruits are still unknown. Fruiting collections of this distinctive species are needed, although its phylogenetic relationship to M. rigidissima is not in doubt.
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: HAITI. Department du Sud: Massif de la Hotte, Parc National Pic Macaya, open pine forest/cloud forest on southern slope of Pic Macaya, ca 2150-2200 m elev., fl, 7 Jun 1984, J. D. Skean, Jr. 1428 (holotype: FLAS!; isotypes: A!, JBSD!, NY!).
Description: Shrub to ca 2.5 m tall. Indumentum a densely tangled mat of ferrugineous, fasciculate, multicellular hairs. Young twigs obscurely 4-angled, ± rectangular, 3-4 mm wide, becoming terete with age, the indumentum dense; internodes 1.1-3.5 (-7) cm long. Leaves with petiole 3-5 (-9) mm long, with dense indumentum; blade (2.5-) 3.4-7.3 (-8.6) cm long, 1.5-3.8 (-4.8) cm wide, ovate, flat or slightly abaxially inrolled, often slightly undulate, extremely coriaceous, the apex acute to slightly obtuse or acuminate, the base rounded to cordate, the margin plane to revolute, conspicuously crenate, the largest teeth 0.7-2 mm long; venation acrodromous, basal, with a prominent midvein and 4 secondary veins, the 2 secondary veins inconspicuous in smaller leaves, the more prominent secondary veins placed 2-8 mm in from margin, and numerous percurrent tertiary veins oriented subperpendicular to midvein, the tertiary veins joined by percurrent-orthogonal quaternary veins; adaxial surface dark green, for the most part glabrous, but with some matted, ferrugineous hairs persisting in vein impressions and near apex and base, midvein and secondary veins prominently impressed, tertiary veins less conspicuously impressed; abaxial surface brown, densely covered with a tangled mat of ferrugineous, fasciculate, multicellular hairs, midvein and 2 larger secondary veins prominently raised, 2 smaller secondary veins less conspicuously raised, tertiary veins slightly raised, higher order veins slightly raised. Inflorescences paniculate, with 2-4 branch-pairs, 1.3-5.2 cm long, 1.5-3.5 cm across, the heads sessile or with stalks to ca 13 mm long, each containing 6-18 flowers, representing a reduced aggregation of usually 3-flowered dichasia, the axes all with dense, matted indumentum; peduncle 1.4-4 cm long; heads subtended by a lingulate, cartilaginous bract, 4-9 mm long, 3-6 mm wide, with an obtuse apex and an abaxially dense indumentum, the lowermost pair sometimes expanded and leaf-like; flowers in dichasia, each flower associated with a pair of narrowly elliptic bracteoles, 3.7-3.8 mm long, 1.7-3.7 mm wide, the indumentum similar to that of the bract subtending head, their apices obtuse. Flowers sessile. Hypanthium slightly obconical, weakly 5-angled, free portion ca 1.3 mm long, the outer surface with dense, matted, ferrugineous indumentum, the inner surface glabrous. External calyx lobes 5, ca 0.8 mm long, ca 1.2 mm wide, triangular with acute apex, with dense and fringing indumentum; internal calyx lobes 5, ca 1 mm long, ca 1.2 mm wide, lingulate, the apex rounded, the margin minutely erose, glabrous; calyx tube nearly lacking. Petals 5, ca 2.6 mm long, ca 1.8 mm wide, slightly obovate, white, glabrous; margin minutely erose. Stamens 10, geniculate, white; the proximal segment ca 2.2 mm long; distal segment ca 2.3-2.7 mm long, with minute dorsal projection, the anther 1.8-2 mm long, with fertile portion of anther sacs ca 1.2 mm long, the connective/distal part of filament extending ca 0.5-1 mm beyond the base of anther sacs. Ovary 5-loculate, ± inferior, ca 1.1 mm long, 1.8-2.9 mm in diameter, broadly conical, glabrous, with minute apical projections, to ca 0.7 mm long, encircling base of style; style ca 3.5 mm long, cylindrical, glabrous; stigma concave to truncate. Berries not seen. Seeds not seen. Fig. 51.
Habitat and Distribution: Hispaniola (Haiti), Massif de la Hotte, southern slope of Pic Macaya and ridge of Morne Formon; on exposed ridges in moist forests of Pinus occidentalis and adjacent cloud forests; ca 2100-2200 m. These interesting high elevation forests of the Massif de la Hotte are described in Judd (1987). No other melastomes grow on these exposed ridges, but in nearby forests several others occur, especially Miconia barkeri, M. hypiodes, and several species of Mecranium (see Skean 1993); associated species are listed in Judd and Skean (1987) and Judd (1987).
Phenology: The flowering period is poorly known, and flowering specimens have been collected only in February and June.
Taxonomy and Systematics: Miconia macayana is most closely related to M. rigidissima, and both are restricted to the highest elevation forests of southern Haiti. The characters distinguishing the two species are outlined in the discussion under M. rigidissima. Miconia macayana is especially distinctive because of its very coriaceous leaves with frequently cordate leaf bases, conspicuously crenate margins (i.e., the individual crenations 0.7-2 mm long), and 4 secondary veins. The two species are allopatric, with M. macayana occurring only in the Massif de la Hotte, in the vicinity of Pic Macaya and Pic Formon, and M. rigidissima in the highest elevations of the Massif de la Selle. Both are characteristic of open, often rocky habitats, dominated by low shrubs. Miconia macayana was described from flowering material (Judd and Skean 1987); since its description it has been re-collected by J. Dan Skean, but fruits are still unknown. Fruiting collections of this distinctive species are needed, although its phylogenetic relationship to M. rigidissima is not in doubt.