Taxon Details: Clidemia lanuginosa Almeda
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
Narratives:

Family:

Melastomataceae (Magnoliophyta)
Scientific Name:

Clidemia lanuginosa Almeda
Accepted Name:

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, Almeda et al. 6070 (CAS!)

Description: Little-branched subshrub 0.5-2 m tall, the terete upper internodes, petioles, and inflorescence rachis moderately covered with smooth spreading hairs 3-5 mm long with a dense understory of deciduous appressed somewhat woolly (often gland-tipped and crisped) hairs. Leaves of a pair equal to unequal in size, otherwise identical in all details and consistently bearing paired elongate inflated formicaria 2-5.5 cm long on the adaxial base of the blade; blades membranaceous and brittle when dry, 8.5-22 cm long and 5-12.5 cm wide, ovate to ovate-elliptic, apex acuminate, base broadly rounded, margin subentire to denticulate, 7-9-plinerved, the paired primary veins arising at successive points above the blade base with the inner-uppermost primaries diverging form the median vein 2-4.5 cm above the blade base, the adaxial surface moderately and uniformly covered with smooth spreading hairs 3-6 mm long, the primary and higher order veins on the abaxial surface beset with smooth spreading hairs 2-5 mm long and an understory of minute deciduous glandular hairs. Inflorescence a paniculiform dichasium 2-8 cm long that is at first terminal but then becomes pseudolateral with growth and elongation of lateral branches; bracteoles subulate to oblong-subulate 1-2 mm long (including terminal hair) and 0.25 mm wide, sparingly beset with minute glandular hairs on the abaxial surface. Flowers 4-5-merous on pedicels 0.5-1 mm long. Hypanthia (at anthesis) cylindric to cylindric-campanulate, sparsely covered with smooth spreading hairs 1-3 mm long and an understory of appressed glandular hairs. Calyx lobes semicircular to rounded-triangular, tardily deciduous, 0.25 x 0.5-0.75 mm, hyaline, deciduously glandular-puberulent abaxially and glandular-ciliolate at the margins; calyx teeth subulate, 0.5-4 mm (excluding apical hair), sparingly beset with smooth spreading hairs 2 mm long and an understory of minute glandular hairs. Petals glabrous, white or pink, oblong to oblong-obovate, 2-4 x 1 mm. Filaments glabrous, 1.75-2 mm long; anthers 1.75-2 mm long, 0.2 mm wide, yellow, subulate with a dorsally inclined pore; connective thickened dorsally but not prolonged below the thecae and unappendaged. Ovary (3-) 4 (-5)-locular, completely inferior; apex elevated into a short cone (0.25 mm) and vaguely lobulate collar at anthesis that disappears on mature fruits. Berry blue at maturity, 2.5-3 x 2.5-4 mm. Seeds 0.5 mm long, the convex face somewhat angular with a densely tuberculate testa.

Habitat and Distribution: Local and uncommon, often in deep shade in cloud forests and rain forests. 300-1450 m. COSTA RICA (Gallardo 88, INB); PANAMA (Correa et al. 9854, PMA) (Endemic).

Notes: [Description based only on Mesoamerican specimens.]