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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: COSTA RICA. Puerto Viejo, 1893, Biolley 7452 (holotype: US-internet image!; isotypes: BR-3 sheets-internet images!, CAS!).

Description: Suffrutescent herb or shrub (0.35–)0.5–4(–6) m tall with open and lax branching, bark green-brown. Upper internodes (3.1–4.5 cm long) and cauline nodes terete, nodal line absent. Indumentum on branchlets, petioles, primary and secondary leaf veins abaxially, inflorescence axes, bracts, bracteoles, pedicels, and hypanthia densely to moderately composed of brownish sessile to thin-stipitate dendritic trichomes 0.15–0.23 mm long with short axes and few-moderate number of terete arms, copiously intermixed with red or pink elongate smooth trichomes mostly 1.5–3(–4) mm long. Leaves of each pair isophyllous in size when young, the older pairs becoming somewhat anisophyllous; the petiole (1–)1.5–6 cm long, canaliculate adaxially, shallowly to moderately grooved abaxially, green-brownish; larger leaves 10–22 × 7.8–11 cm, smaller leaves (4.5–)6.5–9 × (2.5–)4–6.6 cm, ovate to ovate-elliptic, the base broadly rounded to obtuse or slightly cordate, somewhat oblique, the margin vaguely undulate, ciliate-crenulate or ciliate-entire, the apex short-acuminate, chartaceous; mature leaves adaxially moderately to sparsely strigose with pink-red elongate smooth trichomes 1.5–2.5 mm long, the primary, secondary, tertiary and higher order veins glabrous; abaxially sparsely and caducously strigillose with pink-red elongate smooth trichomes 0.7–1.5 mm long, the tertiary and higher order veins glabrescent with a sparse mixture of the general vestiture, occasionally obscuring a sparse resinous indumentum of slightly furrowed sessile glands ca. 0.05 mm long; 5- or 7-plinerved to 5- or 7-nerved, including the tenuous marginals, when plinerved the innermost pair of secondary veins diverging asymmetrically from the primary vein 0.5–0.7 cm above the base, areolae 0.5–1 mm, adaxially the primary, secondary, tertiary and higher order veins flat, abaxially the primary and secondary veins elevated and terete, the tertiary and higher order veins slightly elevated and terete. Inflorescences a pseudolateral group of multiflorous to few-flowered modified dichasia (1.5–)2–3 cm long, sessile or with a short peduncle to 0.5 cm long, with two or three paracladia from a somewhat elongate axis, moderately to little branched, borne on the upper leafy axils, the rachis light pink to red; bracts and bracteoles 1 × 0.5 mm, subulate to oblong-apiculate, somewhat thick, pink-red, the smooth trichomes absent, spreading, persistent in fruit. Flowers 5-merous sessile or on pedicels to 0.5 mm long. Hypanthia at anthesis 2.5–2.8 × 1–1.2 mm, free portion of hypanthium 1.2–1.5 mm long, subcylindric to campanulate, bluntly 10-ribbed, white to pink or red, the brownish dendritic trichomes sparse and caducous, the red or pink elongate smooth trichomes 0.9–1.2 mm long persistent and spreading, copiously intermixed with resinous slightly furrowed more or less stalked glands ca. 0.05 mm long, ridged on the inner surface, glabrous, the torus adaxially densely to moderately ciliate, the cilia 0.25–0.3 mm long. Calyx open in bud and persistent in fruit, red to pink; tube 0.1–0.2 mm long, adaxially sparsely ciliate to glabrous, abaxially with the same vestiture as the hypanthium; lobes 0.2–0.4(–0.5) × 1 mm, depressed-triangular, the margin entire to vaguely sinuate, the apex bluntly acute to rounded; exterior calyx teeth ca. 1 mm long including the apical trichome, bluntly conic and 1–3–aristate, the aristae pink or red, glabrescent with a few resinous glands and dendritic trichomes, inserted at the base of the calyx lobes and projecting beyond them. Petals 1.2–1.5 × 0.8–1.2(–1.5) mm, oblong, the margin entire, the apex rounded-obtuse, white, densely papillose on both surfaces, reflexed at anthesis. Stamens 10; filaments 1.2–1.5 × 0.22–0.25 mm, white to yellowish, glabrous; anther thecae 1.8–2.5 × 0.25–0.28 mm, linear-oblong and subulate, truncate-acuminate at the apex, opening by one dorsally inclined pore 0.1 mm in diameter, light yellow at anthesis; connective yellow, its prolongation and appendage 0.3–0.4(–0.45) mm long, the appendage oblong-spatulate, obtuse at the apex, moderately gland-edged, the glands sessile, minute and rounded. Ovary 5-locular, completely inferior, ca. 1.3 mm long at anthesis, the apical collar absent, the apex 0.3 mm in diameter, somewhat depressed, sparsely ciliate and inconspicuously glandular-puberulent; style 3.8–4.7 mm long, parallel sided (i.e. terete) to tapered distally, white, glabrous; stigma truncate to expanded truncate. Berries 5–6 × 5–6 mm when dry, globose, bright pink turning purple-black when ripe, the hypanthial indumentum persistent in fruit. Seeds 0.29–0.36(–0.6) × 0.12–0.2 mm, ovoid, angled, light-brown; lateral and antiraphal symmetrical planes ovate, the highest point toward the chalazal side; raphal zone suboblong, ca. 60% larger than the corpus of the seed, extending along its entire length, ventrally and longitudinally expanded; individual cells elongate, anticlinal boundaries moderately channeled, undulate, with [Omega] and U-type patterns; periclinal

Common names: Colombia: “morita” (Galeano et al. 3622, COL-internet image!); Nicaragua: “jaboncillo” (Ortiz 75, CAS!, MO!).

Habitat and Distribution: Local, on river banks, understories and disturbed sites in lowland rain forests and premontane wet forests, usually found in deep shade, from Nicaragua through southern Central America to Colombia , at 0–1500 m. In Nicaragua it is found in the Atlantic and North-central zones (Almeda 2001), in Costa Rica it is present throughout the country, and it has been collected in Panama (Bocas del Toro and Darién) south to Colombia, where it is only known from the San José del Palmar region (Chocó and Risaralda), and was recently collected in the Eastern Cordillera of the Andes.

Phenology: Collected in flower and fruit throughout the year.

Etymology: From a family name (Reitz). Gleason did not specify derivation of this epithet in the protologue.

Taxonomy and Systematics: This species is distinguished by the dense pink-setose pubescence on internodes, inflorescence rachis, foliar surfaces and hypanthium. Miconia quinquenervia shares similar setose exterior calyx teeth and gland-edged staminal connective appendage. Miconia neocoronata also has an adaxially ciliate torus like M. reitzianaand resinous-glandular hypanthium, but lacks elongate trichomes on the foliar surfaces and hypanthium. Phylogenetically, M. reitziana is sister to both M. aguilarii and M. quinquenervia , both of which differ from the former in having foliar bases decurrent on the petioles. Occasionally but not consistently, in all the material studied, the resinous-glandular vestiture is also present on the upper internodes, veins and venules abaxially, but obscured by the more conspicuous asperous indumentum as noted by Almeda (2009). The anisophylly in this species is not present in every pair of leaves of an individual. Some leaf pairs are isophyllous, but every individual has several pair of anisophyllous leaves. There is a recent collection from the department of Boyacá (Alvear et al. 1440, CAS!, COL) that certainly belongs to the M. reitziana alliance. The vegetative and floral dimensions are congruent, as well as floral characters, and the adaxial torus is ciliate although sparsely so. The hypanthium vestiture consists of rusty asperous trichomes and resinous-glandular trichomes, but with a few smooth pinkish trichomes. Phylogenetically this taxon branches before M. reitziana, but both belong to the same clade. In this part of the tree there is not enough statistical support to separate M. reitziana from this Boyacá population; therefore the exact relationship between these two entities remains to be resolved. The Alvear collection is from the western slope of the Eastern Cordillera of the Andes, a region from which no previous collections of M. reitziana are known. Considering the distance between the known populations of M. reitziana in Colombia, this specimen would represent the easternmost occurrence of this taxon; therefore, the slight morphological differences may be associated with its geographic isolation. More collections are needed for a better understanding of the distribution of this species in the Colombian Andes.

Conservation Status: This species would be considered Endangered EN B2ab(iii) according to IUCN criteria (AOO). Because it occurs in many protected areas, a status of Least Concern LC is warranted. Protected in Colombia in the Aves El Paujil Natural Reserve (Boyacá). In Costa Rica it is protected throughout the country in several National Parks and Reserves. In Nicaragua it is protected in the Bosaws Reserve (Jinotega). In Panama it is protected in the Darién National Park (Darién).