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Family:

Melastomataceae (Magnoliophyta)

Primary Citation:

Prodr. (DC.) 3: 182. 1828

Accepted Name:

This name is currently accepted.

Common Names:

santamaría, Sata Maria, lengua de vaca, dos caras

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: Mosquito Coast (Nicaragua), Collector unknown (S).

Description: Shrubs or trees 2-10 m tall, the branchlets, petioles, lower leaf surfaces, inflorescences, and hypanthia covered with a dense stellate tan tomentum, the distal internodes strongly flattened and two-edged. Leaves 5-nerved, broadly elliptic to elliptic-ovate, 10-25 X 5.5-15 cm, adaxially glabrous, apex gradually to abruptly short-acuminate, base obtuse to rounded, the margin denticulate varying to entire; petioles 2.2-8 cm long. Panicle 10-26 cm long; flowers 5-merous, sessile, the early deciduous bracteoles linear-oblong, 1-2 X 0.5-1 mm. Calyx lobes obscure, narrowly deltoid, 1 mm long, exterior teeth not evident. Petals obliquely obovate-oblong, white, 2-3 X .5-2 mm. Anthers somewhat anisomorphic, linear-oblong, alternately 1.5 and 2.5 mm long, white, the large pore emarginate and strongly inclined ventrally; connective prolonged 0.5 mm and modified ventro-basally into an incurved bilobed appendage. Style glabrous, 3-5 mm long; stigma clavate-crateriform; ovary 3-locular, 1/2 inferior, apex glabrous; berry 3-4 X 3-4 mm, purple-black at maturity. Seeds pyramidate, angulate and smooth, 1 mm long.

Habitat and Distribution: Common, deciduous forest, evergreen forest, swamp and gallery forest, pine forest, savanna margins, eroded volcanic slopes and limestone cliffs, disturbed sites. 0-1250 m. Southern Mexico (Oaxaca and Veracruz southward). MEXICO: Tabasco (Cowan 2592, CAS); Chiapas (Breedlove & Almeda 57793, CAS); Campeche, Quintana Roo y Yucatán (Cabrera & Cabrera 6605, CAS); BELIZE (Gentle 7883, CAS); GUATEMALA (Contreras 9618, CAS); HONDURAS (Molina 24166, CAS); EL SALVADOR (Davidse et al. 37080, CAS); NICARAGUA (Neill 3673, CAS); COSTA RICA (Almeda & Anderson 5540, CAS); PANAMA (Almeda et al. 5954, CAS).

Taxonomy and Systematics: Among Mesoamerican species, M. argentea has an extraordinary tolerance for persisting and even thriving in degraded sites with pronounced seasonal drought.

Notes: [Description based only on Mesoamerican specimens.]