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Family:

Melastomataceae (Magnoliophyta)

Primary Citation:

Systematics of the octopleura clade of Miconia (Melastomataceae: Miconieae) in tropical America
Phytotaxa 179: 1--174. 2014

Accepted Name:

This name is currently accepted.

Description:

Description Author and Date: Diana Gamba & Frank Almeda, modified from "Systematics of the Octopleura Clade of Miconia (Melastomataceae: Miconieae) in Tropical America". Gamba, D., Almeda, F. Phytotaxa 179(1): 1-174.

Type: Exact locality not legible, Miller s.n. (holotype: BM-internet image!).

Description: Subshrub or shrub 0.5–4(–6) m tall with slender erect branching, bark green-brownish. Upper internodes[(2.6–)3.8–5.3(–11.1) cm] and cauline nodes terete, nodal line absent. Indumentum on branchlets, petioles, adaxial surface of young leaves, primary and secondary leaf veins abaxially, inflorescence axes, bracts, bracteoles, pedicels, hypanthia, calyx lobes, and calyx teeth densely to moderately composed of brownish sessile to thin-stipitate-dendritic trichomes 0.1–0.2 mm long with short axes and few-moderate number of terete arms, sparsely intermixed with caducous elongate smooth trichomes 1–1.3 mm long. Leaves of each mature pair somewhat anisophyllous in size, the younger pairs being more or less isophyllous; the semiterete petiole 0.3–1 cm, deeply canaliculate adaxially, green-brownish; larger blades (10.2–)12–25 × (6.5–)7.5–15 cm, smaller blades (4.5–)5–10.5 × (2.5–)3–6 cm, broadly elliptic to ovate, the base rounded to abruptly attenuate and slightly oblique, narrowly long-decurrent on the petiole, the margin ciliolate-denticulate, the apex bluntly acute to short-acuminate, or obtuse, chartaceous; the adaxial surface flushed pink at the base of juvenile leaves, at maturity the adaxial surface rapidly becoming glabrate, or moderately to sparsely strigose with brownish elongate smooth trichomes 0.5–1.5 mm long, the primary and secondary veins on young leaves copiously covered with the general dendritic trichomes, becoming glabrate, the tertiary and higher order veins glabrous; abaxial surface occasionally flushed red or chocolate brown when dry, glabrate except for a few dendritic trichomes and resinous glands on the venules, the tertiary and higher order veins sparsely beset with caducous resinous slightly furrowed more or less stalked glands 0.05 mm long; 7- or 9-plinerved, including the tenuous marginals, innermost pair of secondary veins diverging asymmetrically from the primary vein 0.5–3.5 cm above the decurrent base, areolae 1–1.5 mm, adaxially the primary, secondary, tertiary and higher order veins impressed, abaxially the primary, secondary, tertiary and higher order veins elevated and terete. Inflorescences a pseudolateral multiflorous dithyrsoid 2–4 cm long, including a peduncle 0.2–0.5 cm long or sessile, highly and divaricately branched from the peduncle apex or the base, borne on the upper foliar nodes, rachis bright pink; bracts and bracteoles 0.5–0.7 × 0.2 mm, subulate-apiculate, occasionally with two thick trichomes projecting from the base, pink, the bracts spreading, the bracteoles spreading to erect, persistent in fruit. Flowers 5-merous on pedicels 0.25–0.5 mm long. Hypanthia at anthesis 2.5–2.7 × 1 mm, free portion of hypanthium 1.3–1.5 mm long, suburceolate to campanulate, bluntly 10-ribbed, yellowish becoming bright pink, copiously to sparsely resinous-glandular with slightly furrowed more or less stalked glands <0.05 mm long, caducously intermixed with the dendritic and elongate trichomes, ridged on the inner surface and like the torus adaxially sparsely and caducously resinous-glandular. Calyx open in bud and persistent in fruit, pinkish-green; tube 0.1–0.3 mm long, with the same vestiture of the torus adaxially and of the hypanthium abaxially; lobes 0.1–0.25 × 0.25 mm, broadly triangular, the margin vaguely undulate, the apex bluntly acute, glabrescent with few resinous glands; exterior calyx teeth 0.5–1 mm long including the apical trichome, bluntly conic and 3 aristate, the aristae brownish, inserted at the base of the calyx lobes and projecting beyond them, glabrescent. Petals0.75–1.5(–1.7) × 0.75–1 mm, obovate-oblong, with a projecting infra-apical abaxial tooth, the margin entire, the apex rounded-obtuse, white, densely papillose on both surfaces, reflexed at anthesis. Stamens 10; filaments 1–1.5(–1.7) × 0.25 mm, white, glabrous; anther thecae 1.5–2.4 × 0.25–0.35 mm, linear-oblong and subulate, truncate to emarginate and short-acuminate at the apex, opening by one dorsally inclined pore 0.1–0.15 mm in diameter, cream to light yellow at anthesis; connective yellow, its prolongation and appendage 0.25–0.45 mm long, the appendage oblong-spatulate, obtuse at the apex, copiously gland-edged, the glands sessile to shortly stalked and rounded. Ovary 5-locular, completely inferior, ca. 1.2 mm long at anthesis, the apical collar absent, the apex 0.3 mm in diameter, somewhat depressed, caducously glandular-puberulent; style 5.5–6 mm long, narrowed distally (i.e. tapering), white, glabrous or rarely sparsely to copiously glandular-puberulent at the base; stigma expanded truncate to capitellate. Berries 4–5 × 4.5 mm when dry, globose-oblate, bright pink, then green, and ultimately ripening purple-black, the hypanthial indumentum somewhat persistent at maturity. Seeds 0.33–0.54 × 0.16–0.2 mm, ovoid, angled, light-brown; lateral and antiraphal symmetrical planes ovate, the highest point toward the chalazal side; raphal zone suboblong, ca. 10–20% larger than the corpus of the seed, extending along its entire length, vent

Common names: Ecuador: “paichi panga”, for curing fevers (Clark et al. 969, MO!). Panama (Barro Colorado Island): “fruta de pava” (Croat 1978).

Habitat and Distribution: Uncommon to locally common in gallery forests, semideciduous forests, rain forests margins, river or stream banks, pasture margins and disturbed sites, often in deep or partial shade from Honduras south through southern Central America to Colombia, Venezuela (Portuguesa, Zulia), and Ecuador (Napo, Pastaza) , at 0–700(–1400) m. In Nicaragua it occurs in the “zona Atlántica” (Almeda 2001). In Costa Rica it is mostly restricted to the Caribbean slope. In Panama, it is known principally from tropical wet forests in the Canal Zone, all along the Atlantic slope, and in Panama and Darién, on the Pacific slope; also known from humid forests in Panama (Panama City), Colón and Darien (Croat 1978). In Colombia it is found throughout the Andes (Western, Central and Eastern Cordilleras), from low to premontane elevations, and in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta.

Phenology: Collected in flower and fruit throughout the year.

Etymology: The specific epithet refers to the five noticeable longitudinal foliar nerves.

Taxonomy and Systematics: This species is characterized by the conspicuous decurrent leaf base, multiflorous dichasial thyrsoid inflorescence, and setose calyx teeth. Its sister species is M. aguilarii, which is strikingly similar vegetatively (including the decurrent leaf base), but differs in floral characters (merosity and hypanthium color at anthesis and maturity). Both species are allopatric geographically (see M. aguilarii discussion). As mentioned under the discussion of M. neocoronata, M. quinquenervia is very similar to this species as well. The distinctions between M. neocoronata and M. quinquenervia are discussed in detail in Almeda (2004). Another closely related species is M. reitziana, from which it is easily distinguished vegetatively by its lack of decurrent leaf bases. The inflorescence architecture is also different (not multiflorous groups of modified dichasia), and the elongate smooth trichomes are more abundant in M. reitziana, and completely lacking on the abaxial foliar surface of M. quinquenervia. Both share similar setose exterior calyx teeth, and the glands at the edges of the dorso-basal connective appendage. Along with M. aguilarii, M. neocoronata and M. reitziana, this species is conspicuously anisophyllous. However, the anisophylly does not seem to be consistent in every mature leaf pair and the younger leaves are isophyllous. The rusty-asperous general indumentum of dendritic trichomes in M. quinquenervia resembles that of M. bensparrei, which was considered to be its closest relative by Wurdack (1980). This type of indumentum which is also present in M. palenquensis and M. incerta, and in smaller versions in M. sessilis, M. variabilis, and some populations of M. neomicrantha, is common among closely related species in Octopleura, but not exclusive to these taxa. Therefore, the taxonomic importance of this character is best appreciated when used along with other diagnostic features like seed characters, when assessing relationships among species groups within the Octopleura clade.

Conservation Status: Vulnerable VU B2ab(iii). Althought this species is widely distributed geographically, it is not known from many protected areas. In Colombia it is known from Tayrona National Park (Magdalena) and Tinigua National Park (Meta). In Panama it is common in the Canal Zone and protected in the Chagres and Soberanía National Parks.