Taxon Details: Miconia barbata (Borhidi) Judd, Bécquer & Majure
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Narratives:
Family:
Melastomataceae (Magnoliophyta)
Melastomataceae (Magnoliophyta)
Scientific Name:
Miconia barbata (Borhidi) Judd, Bécquer & Majure
Miconia barbata (Borhidi) Judd, Bécquer & Majure
Primary Citation:
Taxonomic studies in the Miconieae (Melastomataceae). XII. Revision of Miconia sect. Miconiastrum, with emphasis on the Miconia bicolor complex
J. Bot. Res. Inst. Texas 8: 457--491. 2014
Taxonomic studies in the Miconieae (Melastomataceae). XII. Revision of Miconia sect. Miconiastrum, with emphasis on the Miconia bicolor complex
J. Bot. Res. Inst. Texas 8: 457--491. 2014
Accepted Name:
This name is currently accepted.
This name is currently accepted.
Description:
Description Author and Date: Walter S. Judd, Eldis R. Bécquer Granados, James D. Skean Jr., and Lucas C. Majure modified from "Taxonomic studies in the Miconieae (Melastomataceae). XII. Revision of Miconia sect. Miconiastrum, with emphasis on the Miconia bicolor complex". Judd, Walter S., Bécquer Granados, Eldis R., Skean, James D., Jr., Majure, Lucas C.; J. Bot. Res. Inst. Texas. 8 (2): 457-491. 2014
Type: CUBA. Prov. Oriente [Holguín], Playa de Moa, 25 Jul 1941, Bro. León LS-20286, with Bro. Clemente, & R. Howard (HOLOTYPE: HAC!; ISOTYPES: NY!, HAC!).
Description: Evergreen shrub or tree to 5.5 m. Young stems terete to slightly quadrangular, the indumentum of dense, brunnescent to pale ferrugineous, stellate, globular-stellate to dendritic hairs, without elongate, multicellular, non-glandular hairs, internodes 0.7–8 cm long, lacking longitudinal ridges, nodal line present, faint. Leaves isophyllous or nearly so; petiole 1.6–3 cm long, the indumentum of brunnescent to ± ferrugineous, globular-stellate to stellate hairs to stellate-peltate scales with ± free arms; the blade 4.5–19 × 1.6–5.6 cm, ovate to elliptic or oblong, ± falcate, chartaceous to thinly coriaceous, the apex acuminate to attenuate, the base obtuse to rounded, the margin plane to slightly revolute, entire to slightly undulate; secondary veins 2 pairs, one pair conspicuous and one pair inconspicuous, acrodromous, basal, the innermost pair joining midvein at base to 4 mm above the leaf base, the conspicuous secondary veins placed 1.7–11 mm in from margin, the inconspicuous secondary veins intramarginal to 2.3 mm in from margin, tertiary veins percurrent, oriented subperpendicular to midvein, 1.5–9 mm apart, connected by 1 or 2 quaternary veins, or such veins ± reticulate and not connecting the tertiaries, the higher order veins reticulate, the midvein and major secondary veins slightly impressed, tertiary veins slightly impressed to flat, remaining veins flat on adaxial surface; the midvein strongly raised, the major secondary veins moderately to slightly raised, the minor secondary veins and tertiary veins slightly raised to flat, and the higher order veins flat on abaxial surface; adaxial surface appearing slightly wrinkled after drying, with scattered druse crystals, and drying darker than the abaxial surface, the indumentum initially of ± dense, brunnescent to pale ferrugineous, globular-stellate hairs and stellate-peltate scales with ± free arms, but very quickly glabrescent, although sometimes a few hairs persistent on proximal portion of midvein; abaxial surface pale green but ± brunnescent due to indumentum, the surface smooth to bullate, with moderate to dense, brunnescent to pale ferrugineous, globular-stellate hairs and stellate-peltate scales with ± free arms, 0.13–0.24 mm across, the veins with similar hairs, such hairs on lamina persistent to partly deciduous and those on the veins also persistent to deciduous, especially on midvein and major secondary veins, but occasionally also on tertiary veins; mite domatia well-developed (i.e., to 11 mm in length), consistently present, at junction of midvein and major secondary veins, sometimes also at junction of midvein and tertiary veins, and formed by tuft or ± dense mass of elongate, barbate, pale yellow to ferrugineous, eglandular hairs, from 0.2–1.7 mm long. Inflorescences terminal, paniculate cymes, 6–16 cm long, 3.5–11 cm across, with 3–5 major branch pairs, the peduncle 1.4–5 cm long, the ultimate axes (pseudopedicels) 1–4.5 mm long, and the numerous flowers well separated from each other; bracts 0.5–1 × 0.2–0.3 mm, but probably also larger, narrowly triangular to triangular, the apex acute, quickly deciduous; bracteoles 0.3–0.5 × 0.1–0.3 mm, narrowly triangular to triangular, with acute apex, deciduous. Flowers 5- or occasionally 6-merous, zygomorphic (due to positioning of the stamens), with pedicel 1–2.5 mm long. Hypanthium 4.5–7.5 mm long, terete and slightly constricted above ovary, the free portion 2.5–4 mm long, 2–2.7 mm wide at the torus, the outer surface with moderate to dense stellate hairs, the internal surface smooth to very slightly longitudinally ridged, glabrous. Calyx lobes 5 (6), separate in bud, the tube 0.8–2.3 mm long, usually not tearing between lobes, with moderate to dense stellate hairs abaxially, with moderate to dense branched to stellate hairs adaxially, the lobes 0.3–1.5 × 1.5–3 mm, triangular to broadly triangular, the apex acute to obtuse or rounded, with hairs similar to those of the tube, green, sometimes red-tinged; calyx teeth present, 0.1–0.15 mm long, merely a small bump near apex of lobe, green, with rounded apex, and hairs similar to those of calyx. Petals 5 (6), 6–8.5 × 3.5–5.5 mm, asymmetrically obovate, spreading, white (but pink-tinged with age), glabrous but both surfaces densely papillose-granulate, the apex ± rounded, sometimes obscurely notched, the base slightly narrowed to a broad attachment, the margin entire. Stamens 10 (12), isomorphic, ± geniculate near filament apex; staminal filament 5.3–7 mm long, glabrous, pale yellow, anther thecae 5–7.7 × 0.9–1.2 mm, subulate, straight to slightly incurved, opening by a small dorso-apical pore, yellow, the connective not prolonged below the thecae, glabrous, but the filament emerging from slight depression in sterile, minutely dorso-lobed anther base. Ovary 3-locular, ca. 3/4 inferior, ellipsoid to ± oblong, apically conical, glabrous, the apex with a small, slightly ridged collar but lacking a crown, with axile placentation, the ovules numerous, borne on small placenta not or only slightly extending i
Phenology: Recording in flower in March (and likely also April), July, August, October, and December, and probably flowering year around.
Distribution and ecology: Miconia barbata is restricted to the central and northern “Oriente” region, mainly in Prov. Guantánamo and Holguín, Cuba, occurring in the Sierra de Nipe, mountains near Bayate, Monte Verde, and in the vicinity of Moa and Baracoa (Fig. 7), from near sea-level to 745 m, in pinelands, thickets, forests along arroyos, and semideciduous forests on limestone.
Taxonomy and Systematics: Miconia barbata shows some geographically correlated variation, with plants of the Sierra de Neiba often having a denser abaxial leaf indumentum than those of other regions; additionally, the plants of the Moa region have abaxial epidermal cells that are more clearly bullate (and their abaxial epidermis is clearly visible, because many of the stellate hairs are deciduous on older leaves). The species often has been confused with Miconia bicolor (see specimen annotations) even though it is readily distinguished by the indumentum of the abaxial leaf surface, i.e., with stellate hairs or stellate-peltate scales with largely free arms in M. barbata and with stellate-peltate scales (i.e., the arms usually strongly fused) in M. bicolor (see also Borhidi, 1978, who described the indumentum of M. barbata as radiate scales). Abaxial mite domatia are consistently present in M. barbata (although they range from prominent to occasionally more or less inconspicuous), while they may or may not occur in M. bicolor. The two species are partly geographically isolated (Figs. 4, 7) but likely co-occur (more field work is needed in the “Oriente” region). Miconia barbata is actually much more difficult to distinguish from M. angustiflora, a Jamaican endemic, which has less well developed mite domatia (and frequently entirely lacks such domatia; see key).
Description Author and Date: Walter S. Judd, Eldis R. Bécquer Granados, James D. Skean Jr., and Lucas C. Majure modified from "Taxonomic studies in the Miconieae (Melastomataceae). XII. Revision of Miconia sect. Miconiastrum, with emphasis on the Miconia bicolor complex". Judd, Walter S., Bécquer Granados, Eldis R., Skean, James D., Jr., Majure, Lucas C.; J. Bot. Res. Inst. Texas. 8 (2): 457-491. 2014
Type: CUBA. Prov. Oriente [Holguín], Playa de Moa, 25 Jul 1941, Bro. León LS-20286, with Bro. Clemente, & R. Howard (HOLOTYPE: HAC!; ISOTYPES: NY!, HAC!).
Description: Evergreen shrub or tree to 5.5 m. Young stems terete to slightly quadrangular, the indumentum of dense, brunnescent to pale ferrugineous, stellate, globular-stellate to dendritic hairs, without elongate, multicellular, non-glandular hairs, internodes 0.7–8 cm long, lacking longitudinal ridges, nodal line present, faint. Leaves isophyllous or nearly so; petiole 1.6–3 cm long, the indumentum of brunnescent to ± ferrugineous, globular-stellate to stellate hairs to stellate-peltate scales with ± free arms; the blade 4.5–19 × 1.6–5.6 cm, ovate to elliptic or oblong, ± falcate, chartaceous to thinly coriaceous, the apex acuminate to attenuate, the base obtuse to rounded, the margin plane to slightly revolute, entire to slightly undulate; secondary veins 2 pairs, one pair conspicuous and one pair inconspicuous, acrodromous, basal, the innermost pair joining midvein at base to 4 mm above the leaf base, the conspicuous secondary veins placed 1.7–11 mm in from margin, the inconspicuous secondary veins intramarginal to 2.3 mm in from margin, tertiary veins percurrent, oriented subperpendicular to midvein, 1.5–9 mm apart, connected by 1 or 2 quaternary veins, or such veins ± reticulate and not connecting the tertiaries, the higher order veins reticulate, the midvein and major secondary veins slightly impressed, tertiary veins slightly impressed to flat, remaining veins flat on adaxial surface; the midvein strongly raised, the major secondary veins moderately to slightly raised, the minor secondary veins and tertiary veins slightly raised to flat, and the higher order veins flat on abaxial surface; adaxial surface appearing slightly wrinkled after drying, with scattered druse crystals, and drying darker than the abaxial surface, the indumentum initially of ± dense, brunnescent to pale ferrugineous, globular-stellate hairs and stellate-peltate scales with ± free arms, but very quickly glabrescent, although sometimes a few hairs persistent on proximal portion of midvein; abaxial surface pale green but ± brunnescent due to indumentum, the surface smooth to bullate, with moderate to dense, brunnescent to pale ferrugineous, globular-stellate hairs and stellate-peltate scales with ± free arms, 0.13–0.24 mm across, the veins with similar hairs, such hairs on lamina persistent to partly deciduous and those on the veins also persistent to deciduous, especially on midvein and major secondary veins, but occasionally also on tertiary veins; mite domatia well-developed (i.e., to 11 mm in length), consistently present, at junction of midvein and major secondary veins, sometimes also at junction of midvein and tertiary veins, and formed by tuft or ± dense mass of elongate, barbate, pale yellow to ferrugineous, eglandular hairs, from 0.2–1.7 mm long. Inflorescences terminal, paniculate cymes, 6–16 cm long, 3.5–11 cm across, with 3–5 major branch pairs, the peduncle 1.4–5 cm long, the ultimate axes (pseudopedicels) 1–4.5 mm long, and the numerous flowers well separated from each other; bracts 0.5–1 × 0.2–0.3 mm, but probably also larger, narrowly triangular to triangular, the apex acute, quickly deciduous; bracteoles 0.3–0.5 × 0.1–0.3 mm, narrowly triangular to triangular, with acute apex, deciduous. Flowers 5- or occasionally 6-merous, zygomorphic (due to positioning of the stamens), with pedicel 1–2.5 mm long. Hypanthium 4.5–7.5 mm long, terete and slightly constricted above ovary, the free portion 2.5–4 mm long, 2–2.7 mm wide at the torus, the outer surface with moderate to dense stellate hairs, the internal surface smooth to very slightly longitudinally ridged, glabrous. Calyx lobes 5 (6), separate in bud, the tube 0.8–2.3 mm long, usually not tearing between lobes, with moderate to dense stellate hairs abaxially, with moderate to dense branched to stellate hairs adaxially, the lobes 0.3–1.5 × 1.5–3 mm, triangular to broadly triangular, the apex acute to obtuse or rounded, with hairs similar to those of the tube, green, sometimes red-tinged; calyx teeth present, 0.1–0.15 mm long, merely a small bump near apex of lobe, green, with rounded apex, and hairs similar to those of calyx. Petals 5 (6), 6–8.5 × 3.5–5.5 mm, asymmetrically obovate, spreading, white (but pink-tinged with age), glabrous but both surfaces densely papillose-granulate, the apex ± rounded, sometimes obscurely notched, the base slightly narrowed to a broad attachment, the margin entire. Stamens 10 (12), isomorphic, ± geniculate near filament apex; staminal filament 5.3–7 mm long, glabrous, pale yellow, anther thecae 5–7.7 × 0.9–1.2 mm, subulate, straight to slightly incurved, opening by a small dorso-apical pore, yellow, the connective not prolonged below the thecae, glabrous, but the filament emerging from slight depression in sterile, minutely dorso-lobed anther base. Ovary 3-locular, ca. 3/4 inferior, ellipsoid to ± oblong, apically conical, glabrous, the apex with a small, slightly ridged collar but lacking a crown, with axile placentation, the ovules numerous, borne on small placenta not or only slightly extending i
Phenology: Recording in flower in March (and likely also April), July, August, October, and December, and probably flowering year around.
Distribution and ecology: Miconia barbata is restricted to the central and northern “Oriente” region, mainly in Prov. Guantánamo and Holguín, Cuba, occurring in the Sierra de Nipe, mountains near Bayate, Monte Verde, and in the vicinity of Moa and Baracoa (Fig. 7), from near sea-level to 745 m, in pinelands, thickets, forests along arroyos, and semideciduous forests on limestone.
Taxonomy and Systematics: Miconia barbata shows some geographically correlated variation, with plants of the Sierra de Neiba often having a denser abaxial leaf indumentum than those of other regions; additionally, the plants of the Moa region have abaxial epidermal cells that are more clearly bullate (and their abaxial epidermis is clearly visible, because many of the stellate hairs are deciduous on older leaves). The species often has been confused with Miconia bicolor (see specimen annotations) even though it is readily distinguished by the indumentum of the abaxial leaf surface, i.e., with stellate hairs or stellate-peltate scales with largely free arms in M. barbata and with stellate-peltate scales (i.e., the arms usually strongly fused) in M. bicolor (see also Borhidi, 1978, who described the indumentum of M. barbata as radiate scales). Abaxial mite domatia are consistently present in M. barbata (although they range from prominent to occasionally more or less inconspicuous), while they may or may not occur in M. bicolor. The two species are partly geographically isolated (Figs. 4, 7) but likely co-occur (more field work is needed in the “Oriente” region). Miconia barbata is actually much more difficult to distinguish from M. angustiflora, a Jamaican endemic, which has less well developed mite domatia (and frequently entirely lacks such domatia; see key).