Taxon Details: Miconia sterilis Gleason
Taxon Profile:
 | The Plant List |
 | International Plant Name Index |
 | Tropicos |
 | Catalogue of Life |
 | Global Biodiversity Information Facility |
 | JSTOR Types |
| JSTOR |
 | BHL |
 | Encyclopedia of Life |
 | WikiSpecies |
 | Google Scholar |
 | PubMed |
 | Morphbank |
 | IUCN |
 | National Center for Biotechnology Information |
 | Barcode of Life |
Multimedia:
Narratives:
Family:
Melastomataceae (Magnoliophyta)
Melastomataceae (Magnoliophyta)
Scientific Name:
Miconia sterilis Gleason
Miconia sterilis Gleason
Primary Citation:
Madroño 8: 190. 1946
Madroño 8: 190. 1946
Accepted Name:
This name is currently accepted.
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: El Salvador, Tucker 1100 (UC!).
Description: Dioecious shrub 2-2.5 m tall, the rounded-quadrate to quadrisulcate uppermost cauline internodes and petioles moderately covered with ± crisped spreading hairs 1-2 mm long. Leaves of a pair equal to somewhat unequal in size; blades 5-plinerved with the innermost pair of primary veins diverging from the midvein 0.2-1.3 cm above the blade base, elliptic, 5.5-16 x 2.4-5.7 cm, apex short acuminate, base obtuse, the margin ± entire and ciliate, the abaxial blade surface sparsely and inconspicuously brown-lepidote sparsely intermixed with smooth spreading hairs 0.5-1 mm long on the elevated primary and higher order veins, the adaxial blade surface glabrous; petioles 2-4 cm long. Inflorescence a multiflowered panicle 8-9 cm long sparsely covered with smooth spreading hairs 0.5-1 mm long or glabrous, the flowers 5-merous and functionally unisexual on pedicels 0.5-1 mm long, the early deciduous bracteoles oblong to subulate, 0.75 x 0.5-0.1 mm, essentially glabrous. Calyx tube 0.2-0.3 mm long, the calyx lobes ovoid or rounded varying to semicircular, 0.5 x 1 mm, the exterior calyx teeth triangular, 0.1-0.2 mm long, appressed to and shorter than the calyx lobes. Petals white, glabrous, broadly obovate and somewhat retuse apically, 1-1.5 x 1-1.7 mm. Anthers isomorphic, white, obovate-oblong, 4-celled and 2-pored, 1-1.5 mm long in staminate flowers with the connective prolonged 0.5 mm abaxially the thecae but not appendaged. Pistillate flowers unknown. Ovary probably 3-locular. Berries and seeds unknown.
Habitat and Distribution: Cloud forest understory at 2150 m. (Endemic).
Taxonomy and Systematics: This species is known only from the type which was collected on a north-facing slope on the east side of Los Esesmiles in El Salvador (Dept. Chalatenango) at about 2200 m. In the protologue, Gleason expressed uncertainty as to whether the type was dioecious or “merely a teratological specimen.” It is clearly the former. Although Gleason also noted that M. sterilis is suggestive of M. theaezans and M. schnellii, it seems more likely that it is closest to M. glaberrima, another dioecious species with essentially glabrous cauline internodes, leaf blades that are 3-nerved or 3–plinerved, and minutely but distinctly appendaged anther connectives.
Notes: [Description based only on Mesoamerican specimens.]
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: El Salvador, Tucker 1100 (UC!).
Description: Dioecious shrub 2-2.5 m tall, the rounded-quadrate to quadrisulcate uppermost cauline internodes and petioles moderately covered with ± crisped spreading hairs 1-2 mm long. Leaves of a pair equal to somewhat unequal in size; blades 5-plinerved with the innermost pair of primary veins diverging from the midvein 0.2-1.3 cm above the blade base, elliptic, 5.5-16 x 2.4-5.7 cm, apex short acuminate, base obtuse, the margin ± entire and ciliate, the abaxial blade surface sparsely and inconspicuously brown-lepidote sparsely intermixed with smooth spreading hairs 0.5-1 mm long on the elevated primary and higher order veins, the adaxial blade surface glabrous; petioles 2-4 cm long. Inflorescence a multiflowered panicle 8-9 cm long sparsely covered with smooth spreading hairs 0.5-1 mm long or glabrous, the flowers 5-merous and functionally unisexual on pedicels 0.5-1 mm long, the early deciduous bracteoles oblong to subulate, 0.75 x 0.5-0.1 mm, essentially glabrous. Calyx tube 0.2-0.3 mm long, the calyx lobes ovoid or rounded varying to semicircular, 0.5 x 1 mm, the exterior calyx teeth triangular, 0.1-0.2 mm long, appressed to and shorter than the calyx lobes. Petals white, glabrous, broadly obovate and somewhat retuse apically, 1-1.5 x 1-1.7 mm. Anthers isomorphic, white, obovate-oblong, 4-celled and 2-pored, 1-1.5 mm long in staminate flowers with the connective prolonged 0.5 mm abaxially the thecae but not appendaged. Pistillate flowers unknown. Ovary probably 3-locular. Berries and seeds unknown.
Habitat and Distribution: Cloud forest understory at 2150 m. (Endemic).
Taxonomy and Systematics: This species is known only from the type which was collected on a north-facing slope on the east side of Los Esesmiles in El Salvador (Dept. Chalatenango) at about 2200 m. In the protologue, Gleason expressed uncertainty as to whether the type was dioecious or “merely a teratological specimen.” It is clearly the former. Although Gleason also noted that M. sterilis is suggestive of M. theaezans and M. schnellii, it seems more likely that it is closest to M. glaberrima, another dioecious species with essentially glabrous cauline internodes, leaf blades that are 3-nerved or 3–plinerved, and minutely but distinctly appendaged anther connectives.
Notes: [Description based only on Mesoamerican specimens.]