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Family:

Melastomataceae (Magnoliophyta)

Accepted Name:

This name is currently accepted.

Description:

Description Author and Date: D. Penneys, Oct. 2011, modified from Penneys & Judd, 2005.

Type: Montserrat, Ryan s.n. (holotype, C; IDC. 2201. 46: II. 5, photo of holotype at C, A!).

Description: Evergreen shrubs or small trees to 10 m high; young twigs quadrangular, becoming terete with age, with an indumentum of usually conspicuous, multicellular multiseriate hairs (sparse stellate and unicellular hairs), the multicellular multiseriate hairs (1.91)2.25 - 4.07(6.34) mm long, the twigs finally glabrous; nodes (5.0)5.74 - 8.38(10.63) mm in diameter, a slightly expanded interpetiolar ridge present, with multicellular multiseriate seta, sometimes with distinct basal thickenings or even arising from remarkably bulbous bases, (stellate or sessile glandular hairs), the multicellular multiseriate seta (1.72)2.47 - 4.67(5.12) mm long. Leaf blade chartaceous to coriaceous, narrowly to widely ovate to widely elliptic, narrowly obovate or suborbiculate, (6.7)8.6 - 14.9(20.0) cm long, (4.0)5.8 - 9.1(12.0) cm wide, ± plane, sometimes very slightly curved abaxially near margin, apex acute to obtuse, the tip short-acuminate to acuminate; base obtuse (acute) to rounded, usually slightly cordate; adaxial surface of young blades with stellate and unicellular hairs, multicellular multiseriate setae sometimes occur on blade and usually on margins (blades essentially glabrous), mature leaves essentially glabrous but with scattered stellate hairs (deciduous stellate hair bases sometimes appearing as black punctations), unicellular hairs and the multicellular multiseriate setae mostly on margins; abaxial surface of young blades essentially glabrous to stellate pubescent, sometimes with sessile glandular hairs (or the bases of deciduous stellate hairs and appearing as punctations), sparse unicellular hairs, multicellular multiseriate setae frequently occurring on midrib, secondary, and tertiary veins as well as on the margins, the multicellular multiseriate setae (1.05)1.24 - 1.77(2.53) mm long, mature leaves retaining stellate hairs, some becoming sessile-glandular hairs due to the abscission of the arms, unicellular hairs, multicellular multiseriate hairs on midrib, secondary, and tertiary veins as well as on margins, the multicellular multiseriate hairs (1.13)1.19 - 2.13(2.54) mm long; margin plane to occasionally slightly revolute, entire to slightly serrate, the serrations caused by the bases of the marginal hairs; venation basal to slightly suprabasal with 2 or 3 pairs of secondary veins, and 1 pair of inconspicuous submarginal secondary veins, the tertiary veins (20)23 - 29(34), intergrading with quaternary veins at base and apex. Petiole (1.4)2.1 - 5.8(10.0) cm long, almost glabrous to densely pubescent, with hairs similar to those on twigs and blades, these evenly distributed on all parts of petiole, the multicellular multiseriate hairs may be scanty and primarily near blade to densely distributed on all parts of the petiole, the multicellular multiseriate hairs (1.08)1.85 - 3.76(4.74) mm long. Inflorescence terminal, cymose, loosely corymbose to nearly paniculate, (4.0)4.9 - 9.4(30.2) cm long, (3.1)4.2 - 8.0(10.3) cm wide, with 3 - 5 orders of branching, the caducous bracts to ca 4.5 cm long; peduncle (0.4)0.44 - 4.6(12.0) cm long, first internode above peduncle (0.76)0.95 - 2.60(4.1) cm long, first lateral internode (1.0)1.36 - 2.7(5.1) cm long, the flowers (39)48 - 100(138) per inflorescence. Pedicels (2.34)3.27 - 5.67(6.80) mm long, with stellate hairs (0.08)0.10 - 0.22(0.24) mm in diameter. Hypanthium cylindrical to suborbicular around ovary, spreading above ovary, (3.94)4.20 - 5.47(5.67) mm long as measured from base to torus, (2.88)3.10 - 3.87(4.27) mm wide, indumentum of stellate hairs, (0.08)0.10 - 0.22(0.25) mm in diameter, the portion of hypanthium free from ovary (1.10)1.44 - 2.00(2.25) mm long; inner hypanthium smooth to granular textured, occasionally with indistinct longitudinal ridges, torus to calyx apex length (1.59)1.75 - 2.32(2.47) mm, torus to calyx notch length (0.45)0.47 - 0.92(1.22) mm. Calyx lobes (0.78)1.10 - 1.63(1.78) mm long, (2.50)2.82 - 3.91(4.34) mm wide, lobes obtuse to broadly obtuse, the indumentum similar to that of hypanthium, the external calyx teeth (0.32)0.56 - 0.85(1.25) mm long, broadly rounded to bluntly pyramidal with apex directed upwards, sometimes crowned with a small seta. Petals crimson red, irregularly ovate, elliptic or broadly elliptic, (8.38)9.0 - 10.88(12.0) mm long, (5.63)6.75 - 8.38(9.0) mm wide. Stamens (18.5)19.5 - 24.0(26.0) mm long; filaments cream, 16 - 22 mm long, with proximal filament segment (0.56)0.64 - 0.91(0.97) mm wide, distal segment (0.45)0.53 - 0.78(0.92) mm wide; anthers yellow, (2.29)2.54 - 3.13(3.35) mm long, (0.59)0.60 - 0.72(0.76) mm wide, longitudinal slits (1.97)2.07 - 2.50(2.66) mm long. Ovary (2.54)2.63 - 3.54(4.14) mm long, (1.41)1.56 - 1.97(2.19) mm wide, style cream, (20.0)20.5 - 26.0(27.0) mm long, (0.62)0.67 - 0.86(0.97) mm wide. Berries 5 - 7 mm in diameter. Seeds 0.64 - 0.92 mm long, 0.30 - 0.51 mm wide.

Habitat and Distribution: Charianthus purpureus occurs primarily in secondary areas of tropical montane rain forests and elfin forests (Fig. 9). On Saba and St. Kitts, this species may be found from 600 to 900 meters. Charianthus purpureus has also been collected on Montserrat from 500 to 1,000 meters, and on Nevis from about 700 to 1,200 meters. On Montserrat, the Soufriere Hills Volcano entered a period of intense activity in 1995 blanketing much of the island in extensive pyroclastic flows and ash falls, and certainly impacting local populations of this species.

Phenology: Charianthus purpureus has been collected in reproductive condition sporadically throughout the year. On Saba, the plants have been collected in flower only during the months of March, July, and December; St. Kitts flowering collections include the months of January, February, June, and July. The scant collections from Nevis indicate reproductive activity only in March and April, and on Montserrat C. purpureus has been found flowering during the months of January, February, June, and November.

Taxonomy and Systematics: Charianthus purpureus is circumscribed here in a restricted sense, including only those populations occurring on the northern Lesser Antillean islands of Saba, St. Kitts, Nevis, and Montserrat (see in Penneys and Judd 2004). For a photo of Charianthus purpureus, see Hodge (1941).