Taxon Details: Miconia centrosperma Almeda
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Family:
Melastomataceae (Magnoliophyta)
Melastomataceae (Magnoliophyta)
Scientific Name:
Miconia centrosperma Almeda
Miconia centrosperma Almeda
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: Panama, Liesner 702 (CAS!).
Description: Tree 3-4 m tall, the distal branchlets flattened and 2-edged when young, becoming rounded with age. Young shoots, uppermost internodes, petioles, abaxial leaf surfaces, inflorescences, and hypanthia reddish-brown and densely stellulate-lepidote. Leaves of a pair equal, 3-plinerved with the innermost pair of primary veins diverging from the midvein 0.4-1 cm above the blade base, elliptic to elliptic-lanceolate, 7.5-12 X 2.4-4 cm, apex acuminate, base acute, the margin entire to bluntly denticulate, commonly stellate-lepidote abaxially when young but glabrous at ma¬turity; petioles 0.8-1.7 cm long. Inflorescence a panicle 2-2.5 cm long, shorter than subtending leaves; flowers 5-merous, sessile; bracteoles apparently early deciduous and mostly absent at anthesis, linear-oblong to oblanceolate, 3-4 X 0.5 mm, stellulate-lepidote throughout. Calyx closed in bud and rupturing at anthesis into irregular ± persistent lobes mostly 2 mm long; calyx teeth obsolete or evident as blunt protuberances at or near the torus. Petals, reportedly white but turning pink when dry, glabrous, oblong-obovate, truncate to oblique apically, 4 X 2 mm. Anthers isomorphic, 2 mm long, yellow, linear-oblong, ± rounded distally and tipped with a ventrally inclined pore; connective simple, barely thickened dorsally and not dilated or prolonged abaxially the thecae. Ovary 5-locular, totally inferior with a densely setose rim surrounding the crateriform cavity created by stylar abscission. Style glabrous, 6-6.5 mm long; stigma punctiform. Berry 3-4 X 4 mm. Seeds cuneate, angularly ridged with a conspicuous spur on the wider truncate end, 0.5 mm long.
Habitat and Distribution: Rain forest and lake margins. 200-450 m. PANAMA (Mori & Kallunki 5142, CAS). (Endemic).
Taxonomy and Systematics: This local and uncommon species has been overlooked or ignored by most collectors, perhaps because of its superficial vegetative resemblance to the common and widespread Conostegia xalapensis (Bonpl.) D. Don. A population from Cerro Azul, Panama (represented by Croat 11547, 17277- both CAS) differs from typical material in its longer inflorescences (4-4.5 cm), leaf blades decurrent on petioles for a portion of their length, innermost primary nerves diverging well above (2.7-4.5 cm) the petiole-laminar junction, and regularly developed calyx teeth that superficially resemble calyx lobes. Considering these substantial differences and the fact that the two anomalous collections are largely in young fruit and young bud respectively, I have excluded them from my circumscription of M. centrosperma pending collection of additional material.
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: Panama, Liesner 702 (CAS!).
Description: Tree 3-4 m tall, the distal branchlets flattened and 2-edged when young, becoming rounded with age. Young shoots, uppermost internodes, petioles, abaxial leaf surfaces, inflorescences, and hypanthia reddish-brown and densely stellulate-lepidote. Leaves of a pair equal, 3-plinerved with the innermost pair of primary veins diverging from the midvein 0.4-1 cm above the blade base, elliptic to elliptic-lanceolate, 7.5-12 X 2.4-4 cm, apex acuminate, base acute, the margin entire to bluntly denticulate, commonly stellate-lepidote abaxially when young but glabrous at ma¬turity; petioles 0.8-1.7 cm long. Inflorescence a panicle 2-2.5 cm long, shorter than subtending leaves; flowers 5-merous, sessile; bracteoles apparently early deciduous and mostly absent at anthesis, linear-oblong to oblanceolate, 3-4 X 0.5 mm, stellulate-lepidote throughout. Calyx closed in bud and rupturing at anthesis into irregular ± persistent lobes mostly 2 mm long; calyx teeth obsolete or evident as blunt protuberances at or near the torus. Petals, reportedly white but turning pink when dry, glabrous, oblong-obovate, truncate to oblique apically, 4 X 2 mm. Anthers isomorphic, 2 mm long, yellow, linear-oblong, ± rounded distally and tipped with a ventrally inclined pore; connective simple, barely thickened dorsally and not dilated or prolonged abaxially the thecae. Ovary 5-locular, totally inferior with a densely setose rim surrounding the crateriform cavity created by stylar abscission. Style glabrous, 6-6.5 mm long; stigma punctiform. Berry 3-4 X 4 mm. Seeds cuneate, angularly ridged with a conspicuous spur on the wider truncate end, 0.5 mm long.
Habitat and Distribution: Rain forest and lake margins. 200-450 m. PANAMA (Mori & Kallunki 5142, CAS). (Endemic).
Taxonomy and Systematics: This local and uncommon species has been overlooked or ignored by most collectors, perhaps because of its superficial vegetative resemblance to the common and widespread Conostegia xalapensis (Bonpl.) D. Don. A population from Cerro Azul, Panama (represented by Croat 11547, 17277- both CAS) differs from typical material in its longer inflorescences (4-4.5 cm), leaf blades decurrent on petioles for a portion of their length, innermost primary nerves diverging well above (2.7-4.5 cm) the petiole-laminar junction, and regularly developed calyx teeth that superficially resemble calyx lobes. Considering these substantial differences and the fact that the two anomalous collections are largely in young fruit and young bud respectively, I have excluded them from my circumscription of M. centrosperma pending collection of additional material.
Notes: [Description based only on Mesoamerican specimens.]