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Family:

Melastomataceae (Magnoliophyta)

Primary Citation:

Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 58: 82. 1931

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.

Description: Suffrutescent herbs or subshrubs 3-12 dm tall, the branchlets moderately beset with stiff, retrorsely spreading, smooth hairs 8-20 mm long. Leaves somewhat unequal in size in each pair, 5-7(-9)-nerved, ovate to oblong-ovate, 7.5-25 cm long, 5-14.2 cm wide, above glabrous or sparsely to moderately strigose with smooth hairs 1-6 mm long, below glabrous or sparsely covered with retrorsely spreading hairs 1.5-7(-10) mm long mostly restricted to the primary and secondary veins, apex acuminate, base rounded to subcordate, the margin ciliate, serrulate or entire; the obcordate, setose formicaria 0.5-3 cm long, developed at the petiolar apex or petiole/laminar junction (rarely absent). Inflorescence a pseudolateral, long-pedunculate, trichotomously branched cyme 2.5-9 cm long covered with smooth spreading hairs 2-9 mm long, underlain with a caducous incurved-glandular puberulence; flowers 4-merous, pedicels 1-2.5 mm long, the triangular to subulate bracteoles 1-1.5 X 0.25 mm. Hypanthia caducously glandular-puberulent; calyx lobes ovate, 1 X 1 mm, slightly exceeded by the subulate exterior teeth 0.5-1 mm long. Petals white, glabrous, oblong to oblong-obovate, 3-5 X 1.5-2 mm. Filaments 2-3 mm long; anther sacs pale yellow to white, 2 mm long with a dorsally inclined pore; connective prolonged ca 0.25 mm but not appendaged. Ovary 4-locular, 2/3 inferior, glabrous apically; berry ca 5-7 mm diam, purple-black when ripe. Seeds granulate, white, 0.5 mm long.

Habitat and Distribution: Rare and local, cloud forest, rain forest. 120-1350 m. Southern Mexico (Veracruz and Oaxaca). MEXICO: Chiapas (Breedlove & Almeda 57501, CAS); GUATEMALA (Lundell & Contreras 20984, CAS); HONDURAS (Liesner & Mejía 26060, CAS); NICARAGUA (Hahn 488, CAS); COSTA RICA (Almeda et al. 4288, CAS); PANAMA (Santamaría et al. 270, CAS).

Taxonomy and Systematics: This species exhibits much variation in the quantity and distribution of pubescence on branchlets, leaves, formicaria, and inflorescences. There is also much variation in the development, size, and placement of formicaria. Collections from Volcan Mombacho, Nicaragua (Hall & Bockus 7538, Atwood A350) are atypical in lacking formicaria altogether.

Notes: [Description based only on Mesoamerican specimens.]