Taxon Details: Clidemia spectabilis Gleason
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Family:
Melastomataceae (Magnoliophyta)
Melastomataceae (Magnoliophyta)
Scientific Name:
Clidemia spectabilis Gleason
Clidemia spectabilis Gleason
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: Costa Rica, Stork 2717 (F!).
Description: Suffrutescent herbs or subshrubs 3-6 dm tall, the branchlets and petioles sparsely to densely covered with spreading, smooth hairs 5-20 mm long, underlain with a sparse to dense caducous mixture of villous hairs and minute glandular hairs. Leaves 7-9-plinerved, elliptic to elliptic-ovate, 12-25 cm long, 7-18 cm wide, above conspicuously bullate with each conic projection tipped with a smooth hair 2-10 mm long, the impressed primary veins sparsely to moderately covered with a mixture of villous and minute glandular hairs, the blades foveolate below with the primary veins covered with smooth spreading hairs and an understory of villous hairs, apex short-acuminate, base rounded to subcordate, the margin ciliate-serrate to subentire; the setose formicaria 1-2.5 cm long, developed at the blade base. Inflorescence a terminal or axillary umbelliform cyme borne on a peduncle 5-7(-9) cm long, densely villous intermixed with spreading nodal hairs 3-7 mm long; flowers 5-merous, pedicels 2-4 mm long, the lanceolate to oblong-lanceolate bracteoles 1-1.5 X 0.5 mm. Hypanthia sparsely to moderately sericeous with appressed or incurved partly glandular hairs; calyx lobes ovate, 0.5-1 X 1-1.5 mm, the subulate exterior teeth 1-2 mm long beset with 2-5 smooth hairs. Petals white to pink, glabrous, oblong to narrowly obovate, 6-7 X 2.5-4 mm. Filaments 2-3 mm long; anther sacs white to pale yellow when dry, 2-2.5 mm long with a dorsally inclined pore; connective simple. Ovary 5-locular, completely inferior, the apex distended into a glabrous, truncate cone ca 0.25 mm high; berry 5-6 mm diam, blue when ripe. Seeds granulate, beige, 0.7-1 mm long.
Habitat and Distribution: Locally common in cloud forest. 400-1200 (-1800) m. NICARAGUA (Robleto 1160, CAS); COSTA RICA (Utley & Utley 2397, CAS); PANAMA (Antonio 1431, CAS). (Endemic.)
Taxonomy and Systematics: The label on Nee & Robleto 28085 from Nicaragua indicates that this species has the reputation of being a bewitching plant. "If seven leaves are put into the shape of a cross, 4 above and 3 below, it enables one to cast a spell causing another to become hopelessly lost in the forest." Costa Rican populations of this species appear to differ consistently in having the inflorescence and leaf veins below with spreading hairs underlain with densely villous hairs.
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: Costa Rica, Stork 2717 (F!).
Description: Suffrutescent herbs or subshrubs 3-6 dm tall, the branchlets and petioles sparsely to densely covered with spreading, smooth hairs 5-20 mm long, underlain with a sparse to dense caducous mixture of villous hairs and minute glandular hairs. Leaves 7-9-plinerved, elliptic to elliptic-ovate, 12-25 cm long, 7-18 cm wide, above conspicuously bullate with each conic projection tipped with a smooth hair 2-10 mm long, the impressed primary veins sparsely to moderately covered with a mixture of villous and minute glandular hairs, the blades foveolate below with the primary veins covered with smooth spreading hairs and an understory of villous hairs, apex short-acuminate, base rounded to subcordate, the margin ciliate-serrate to subentire; the setose formicaria 1-2.5 cm long, developed at the blade base. Inflorescence a terminal or axillary umbelliform cyme borne on a peduncle 5-7(-9) cm long, densely villous intermixed with spreading nodal hairs 3-7 mm long; flowers 5-merous, pedicels 2-4 mm long, the lanceolate to oblong-lanceolate bracteoles 1-1.5 X 0.5 mm. Hypanthia sparsely to moderately sericeous with appressed or incurved partly glandular hairs; calyx lobes ovate, 0.5-1 X 1-1.5 mm, the subulate exterior teeth 1-2 mm long beset with 2-5 smooth hairs. Petals white to pink, glabrous, oblong to narrowly obovate, 6-7 X 2.5-4 mm. Filaments 2-3 mm long; anther sacs white to pale yellow when dry, 2-2.5 mm long with a dorsally inclined pore; connective simple. Ovary 5-locular, completely inferior, the apex distended into a glabrous, truncate cone ca 0.25 mm high; berry 5-6 mm diam, blue when ripe. Seeds granulate, beige, 0.7-1 mm long.
Habitat and Distribution: Locally common in cloud forest. 400-1200 (-1800) m. NICARAGUA (Robleto 1160, CAS); COSTA RICA (Utley & Utley 2397, CAS); PANAMA (Antonio 1431, CAS). (Endemic.)
Taxonomy and Systematics: The label on Nee & Robleto 28085 from Nicaragua indicates that this species has the reputation of being a bewitching plant. "If seven leaves are put into the shape of a cross, 4 above and 3 below, it enables one to cast a spell causing another to become hopelessly lost in the forest." Costa Rican populations of this species appear to differ consistently in having the inflorescence and leaf veins below with spreading hairs underlain with densely villous hairs.
Notes: [Description based only on Mesoamerican specimens.]