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Family:

Melastomataceae (Magnoliophyta)

Accepted Name:

This name is currently accepted.

Description:

Description Author and Date: Frank Almeda, based on Almeda, F. (2009). Melastomataceae. In: G. Davidse, M. Sousa-Sânchez, S. Knapp, & F. Chiang (eds.), Flora Mesoamericana: Cucurbitaceae a Polemoniaceae. 4(1): 164-338.

Type: Holotype: Brazil, Ferreira s.n. (P).

Description: Shrubs 1-2.5 m tall, the branchlets, leaf veins and venules below, inflorescences, and hypanthia moderately to densely stellate pubescent (the hairs sessile to shortly stalked-stellate), sparsely to densely intermixed with an overstory of spreading glandular hairs mostly 0.5-1 mm long. Leaves 7-9-nerved, ovate-lanceolate, 6.5-14 cm long, 2.5-7 cm wide, above moderately to densely setose, the smooth (occasionally gland-tipped hairs arising from swollen or conic bases, sparsely intermixed with caducous stalked-stellate hairs, below reticulate-foveolate, apex gradually acuminate, base rounded to subcordate, the margin ciliate-serrulate. Inflorescence a pseudolateral pyramidal cyme 6-10 cm long; flowers 5-7-merous, pedicels 0.5-2 mm long, the subulate bracteoles 1-2 X 0.25-0.5 mm. Calyx lobes oblong, 1.5-2.5 X 1 mm, the subulate exterior teeth 1-2 mm long. Petals white to pink, glabrous, oblong to oblong-elliptic, 4-5.5 X 2-3 mm. Filaments 4-5 mm long; anther sacs drying yellow, 3.5-4.5 mm long with a ventrally inclined pore; connective prolonged 0.5-1 mm but not appendaged. Ovary 5-6-locular, 2/3 inferior, the stellate puberulent apical collar ca 0.5 mm long; berry 5-6 mm diam, reportedly blue or dark purple when ripe. Seeds granulate to minutely tuberculate, brown, 0.5 mm long.

Habitat and Distribution: Locally common, shrub or pine savanna, gallery forest, rain forest, coastal scrub. 0-200 m. Venezuela and Guyana south to the Brazilian and Peruvian Amazon. BELIZE (Davidse & Brant 32499, CAS); HONDURAS (Zelaya 185, CAS); NICARAGUA (Seymour 5574, CAS).

Taxonomy and Systematics: Wurdack (1971:124) divided this species into two varieties. The typical variety is characterized by essentially sessile flowers, hypanthia 3 mm long, calyx lobes 1.2-2 mm long, and calyx teeth projecting 1.3-2 mm beyond the calyx lobes; var. affinis (Naudin) Wurdack has pedicellate flowers, hypanthia 2.5 mm long, calyx lobes 0.4-0.7 mm long, and calyx teeth projecting 0.3-0.8 mm. Nicaraguan plants combine characters of the two varieties making it impossible to recognize infraspecific taxa defined by consistent differences.

Notes: [Description based only on Mesoamerican specimens.]