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Family:

Melastomataceae (Magnoliophyta)

Primary Citation:

Trans. Linn. Soc. London, Bot. 28: 102. 1871

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: Colombia, Schlim 903 (BM!).

Description: Shrubs or small trees 2-8 m tall, young branchlets, petioles, primary leaf veins beneath, and hypanthia moderately covered with ferrugineous stellate hairs often intermixed with plumose hairs. Leaves 3-5(-7)-plinerved, narrowly elliptic-lanceolate to elliptic-ovate, (5-)10-20 X 2-8 cm, adaxially essentially glabrous, abaxially deciduously stellate-puberulent on the actual surface, apex attenuate to gradually acuminate, base acute to obtuse but sometimes varying to inaequilateral, the margin obscurely to conspicuously undulate-denticulate; petioles 2-4 cm long. Panicle 2-5 cm long, typically few-flowered; the 5-merous flowers on pedicels 0.5-2 mm long, the deciduous linear bracteoles 1-3 mm long. Calyx moderately stellulate within, ca. 1-1.5 mm long, flange-like with deltoid exterior teeth 0.5 mm long not projecting beyond the lobes. Petals glabrous, obovate 9-14 X 7-10 mm. Stamens isomorphic; anthers oblong, 5 mm long, yellow, the pore ventrally inclined; connective neither prolonged nor appendaged. Style glabrous, 12-13 mm long; stigma capitate; ovary 5-locular, completely inferior, apex shallowly fluted and glabrous; berry 8-10 X 8-10 mm, purple-black at maturity. Seeds deltoid, smooth and angulate, 0.5 mm long.

Habitat and Distribution: Locally common, roadsides, pasture fencerows, rain forest margins. 0-1200 m. Colombia and Venezuela. BELIZE (Davidse & Holland 36557, CAS); GUATEMALA (Contreras 9205, CAS); HONDURAS (Evans 1610, CAS); EL SALVADOR (Sandoval 1142, CAS); NICARAGUA (Moreno 24275, CAS); COSTA RICA (Almeda et al. 3095, CAS); PANAMA (Churchill & de Nevers 4990, CAS).

Notes: [Description based only on Mesoamerican specimens.]