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Family:

Melastomataceae (Magnoliophyta)

Primary Citation:

Symb. Antill. (Urban) 7: 312. 1912

Accepted Name:

This name is currently accepted.

Common Names:

forest johnnyberry, camasey

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. [Dept. de L’Artibonite]: Peak of Morne Piton, 115 m, fl, Sep, E. Christ 2183 (holotype: B, destroyed; fragment of holotype: GH!).

Description: Shrub or small tree to 5 m tall. Indumentum of multicellular, pale ferrugineous to ± white, appressed, irregularly stellate-branched hairs, these usually very quickly degenerating/deciduous, forming cobwebby-matted material (if present), and minute globular hairs. Young twigs not ridged, elliptic to ± rectangular in cross section, 2-6 mm wide, becoming ± terete with age, the indumentum of sparse minute-globular hairs, becoming nearly glabrous with age, sometimes with small irregularly stellate-branched hairs, these usually deciduous (but a few persisting near nodes, especially in populations of the Massif de la Hotte, Hispaniola, and the Sierra Maestra, Cuba), very rarely with a few long-stalked hairs at the nodes; internodes 1.2-6 cm long. Leaves with petiole 0.8-6 cm long, the indumentum ± sparse minute-globular hairs and sometimes a few to numerous stellate-branched to elongate-branched hairs adaxially, these usually deciduous and/or degenerating (but ± persisting in populations in the Massif de la Hotte and Sierra Maestra); blade 5-19.6 cm long, 2.1-7.6 cm wide, ovate or ovate-oblong to elliptic, flat, coriaceous, the apex acuminate, the base acute to rounded, the margin plane to revolute, serrulate, especially distally, to entire, (sometimes serrate in the Massif de la Hotte), ca 10-100% of margin entire, the largest teeth 0-0.25 (-0.4) mm; venation acrodromous, ± basal, with prominent midvein and 4 secondary veins, with 2 conspicuous secondary veins placed 3-13 mm in from margin, with 2 inconspicuous secondary veins closer to margin, and numerous percurrent tertiary veins oriented subperpendicular to midvein, the tertiary veins connected by quaternary veins, higher-order veins ± orthogonal-reticulate; adaxial surface green, the indumentum initially of scattered minute-globular to stellate-branched hairs, the latter usually matted and quickly degenerating and/or deciduous, thus very quickly glabrescent, the midvein and major secondary veins clearly to slightly impressed, minor secondary and tertiary veins very slightly impressed to flat, higher order veins flat (or quaternary veins slightly impressed), the surface appearing wrinkled and minutely papillose after drying due to presence of scattered druse crystals; abaxial surface pale green (rarely slightly yellowish after drying), sparsely to moderately covered with minute-globular hairs, to ca 0.02-0.05 mm long, along with scattered stellate-branched hairs, the latter usually very quickly degenerating and/or deciduous, represented on mature leaves only by a few, whitish, tangled/appressed clusters (but a few obviously stellate hairs rarely remaining on midvein and secondary veins, mainly in populations of the Massif de la Hotte and Sierra Maestra), 0.07-0.2 mm across, the midvein and major secondary veins strongly raised, minor secondary veins and tertiary veins slightly raised to flat, higher order veins flat, and major veins occasionally ± reddish.

Description (cont.): Inflorescences many-flowered rounded to paniculate cymes of 3 to 5 branch-pairs, 4-19 cm long, 2.5-10.3 cm across; proximal segment of lowermost inflorescence branches 1.4-4.3 cm long, distal internodes shorter, ultimate branches 2-8.5 mm long and flowers, with sparse minute-globular and irregularly stellate-branched hairs, the latter usually quickly degenerating and/or deciduous (but ± persistent and obviously stellate, especially at nodes, in material from the Massif de la Hotte and Sierra Maestra), often glabrescent; peduncle 2.4-8.6 cm long, with similar indumentum; each inflorescence branch associated with an early caducous, ovate to obovate or ± oblong bract, ca 2.7-13 mm long, 0.6-2.5 mm wide, the apices acute, the lowermost pair sometimes leaf-like; flowers in dichasia, ± distinctly separated from each other, each subtended by 2 quickly caducous, narrowly ovate or ovate-triangular to obovate or ± oblong bracteoles 1.7-9 mm long, 0.4-2 mm wide, the indumentum of minute globular to stellate hairs, their apices acute. Flowers sessile to shortly pedicellate, the pedicel ± 0-1 mm long. Hypanthium ± slightly conical, free portion ca 1.3-1.9 mm long, the outer surface with sparse minute-globular hairs, often also with minute-stellate hairs, the inner surface glabrous, clearly 10-ridged, often with 10 less conspicuous ridges alternating with the major ones, the apices or the ridges not, to slightly projecting, to ca 0.15 (-0.4) mm. External calyx lobes 5, 0.45-1.6 mm long, 1-1.8 mm wide, but appearing ca 0.2-1 mm longer due to regular pattern of tearing between lobes, ± triangular to broadly so, with acute to slightly acuminate apex, glabrous or with indumentum of ± very sparse minute-globular hairs (rarely with minute stellate hairs); internal calyx lobes 5, 1.2-2.6 mm long, 1-1.8 mm wide, but appearing longer due to a regular tearing of calyx tube, ovate-oblong or oblong, to obovate, green to reddish, glabrous or with indumentum of sparse minute stellate to globular hairs (also often with such hairs on adaxial surface), the margin entire and minutely fringed with branched hairs; calyx tube 0.6-1.2 mm long but usually appearing shorter due to regular pattern of tearing between the calyx lobes (see above). Petals 5, 4-5.4 mm long, 2.5-4.1 mm wide, broadly ovate to obovate, glabrous, white, sometimes red tinged at apices; margin entire. Stamens 10, geniculate; proximal segment 2-2.4 mm long; distal segment 2.7-3.4 mm long, with minute dorsal projection, the anther 2-2.8 mm long, with fertile portion of anther sacs 1.1-2.1 mm long, the connective/distal part of filament extended 0.5-0.9 mm beyond the base of the anther sacs. Ovary 5-loculate, 1/2 to 3/4-inferior, 2.2-3 mm long, 2.7-4.1 mm in diameter, shortly obovoid, glabrous and strongly ridged, with fluted apical projection to 0.2-0.3 mm encircling the base of style; style 3.3-4.4 mm long, glabrous; stigma truncate. Berries ca 8-10 mm in diameter, globose, red when immature, turning pale blue at maturity, nearly glabrous. Seeds 0.5-0.8 mm long, angular-obovoid; testa ± smooth, with slight bulging of individual cells. Figs. 21, 22.

Habitat and Distribution: Most widespread species of sect. Chaenopleura in the Greater Antilles, occurring in Cuba (eastern portion of island, in Sierra del Cristal and Sierra Maestra), Hispaniola (Haiti, in the Massif du Nord, Massif des Cahos, and Massif de la Hotte; and the Dominican Republic, in the Sierra de Septentrional, Sierra de Neiba, and Cordillera Central), and Puerto Rico (Cordillera Central, Sierra de Cayey); moist montane forests, cloud forests, and thickets; 400-1800 m. Associated melastomes include Calycogonium torbecianum Urb. & Ekman, C. hispidulum Cogn., Clidemia angustilamina Judd & Skean, C. cymosa (Wendl. ex Spreng.) Alain, C. hirta (L.) D. Don, C. umbellata, Mecranium birimosum (Naudin) Triana, M. haitiense Urb., M. latifolium (Cogn.) Skean, M. revolutum, Meriania brevipedunculata Judd & Skean, Miconia jimenezii, M. laevigata, M. mirabilis, M. prasina (Sw.) DC., M. racemosa (Aubl.) DC., M. serrulata (DC.) Naudin, M. subcompressa, Nepsera aquatica (Aubl.) Naudin, Sagraea curvipila (Urb. & Ekman) Alain, S. setulosa (Urb.) Alain, Tetrazygia urbanii Cogn., and Tibouchina longifolia (Vahl) Baill. ex Cogn. See also Liogier (1978).

Phenology: Flowering throughout the year, but most frequent from October through June.

Taxonomy and Systematics: Miconia calycina is similar to M. zanonii, and these two geographically isolated species may be related (see discussion under that species and comparisons in the key). It can be distinguished from the phenetically similar M. barkeri by the lack of mite-domatia, lack of gland-headed hairs on the inner hypanthium surface, lack of peltate scales, and the shorter stamens (distal segment 2.7-3.4 mm vs. 3.3-4.1 mm long). The Cuban and southern Hispaniolan populations, especially, are easily confused with M. cubense, which also has more or less persistent stellate hairs on its stems and leaves. The similarity of M. cubense to the Puerto Rican populations of M. calycina also was mentioned by N. L. Britton (1925). I note that Miconia calycina can be easily distinguished from all of these species by its calyx tube, which regularly tears between the calyx lobes, and by its internal calyx lobes that are ovate-oblong or oblong, to obovate (see key). Populations of M. calycina from northern Hispaniola and Puerto Rico lack persistent stellate hairs and consistently have hypanthia that tear upon anthesis, while plants of the Massif de la Hotte (southern Hispaniola) have more persistent stellate hairs, and have been described as M. haitiense. The latter sometimes have nearly cylindrical and, therefore, only slightly tearing hypanthia, although they may also show the typical tearing hypanthium of this species. The Puerto Rican populations, although very similar to those of northern Hispaniola, have been called M. subcorymbosa (Britton 1925; Liogier & Martorell 1982; Liogier 1995). These Puerto Rican plants, however, cannot be distinguished from those of northern Hispaniola, and the name M. subcorymbosa is here placed in synonymy. Miconia calycina also has been collected a few times in the Sierra Maestra of Cuba. These Cuban gatherings show the elongate-conical and regularly tearing hypanthium so characteristic of M. calycina, but like the Massif de la Hotte specimens, these plants show some persistence of their stellate indumentum. A single collection (i.e., Ekman 16010) from the Sierra del Cristal (Cuba), unfortunately sterile, may also belong to this species. An illustration of Miconia calycina (as M. subcorymbosa) was published in Little et al. (1974, pl. 612). The English common name is Forest johnnyberry, but the plant is also known by the general Spanish name, camasey.