Monographs Details:
Authority:
Michelangeli, Fabián A. 2005. (Melastomataceae). Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 98: 1-114. (Published by NYBG Press)
Michelangeli, Fabián A. 2005.
Family:
Melastomataceae
Melastomataceae
Synonyms:
Tococa parviflora subsp. manserichensis Wurdack, Tococa tetramera Wurdack
Tococa parviflora subsp. manserichensis Wurdack, Tococa tetramera Wurdack
Description:
Species Description - Shrub, up to 1-3 m tall; stems with a mix of persistent, sparsely glandular and nonglandular trichomes 1.5-3.0 mm long, with a dense cover of stellulate hairs underneath, the nodes glabrous. Leaves anisophyllous, elliptic to oblong-elliptic, the larger ones (9-) 15-28 X (5-)7-15 cm, the smaller ones 7-15 X 3-6 cm, apex abrubtly acuminate, base acute to obtuse, adaxial side sparsely glandular-pubescent, abaxial side sparsely glandular-pubescent, light green, 3-5-nervate, membranaceous, ciliate serrulate; petioles 0.5-2.0 cm long, with pubescence as on stems; domatia present in the larger leaf of each pair, free from the leaf blade, ovoid to narrowly ovoid, 1.0-2.0 X 0.7-1.1 cm. Inflorescence a terminal panicle of 610 (-16) flowers, occasionally becoming axillary by overgrowth of the axillary meristem, very lax and with 3 or 4 degrees of branching, 5-20 cm long, the axis red to crimson, terete. Flowers on pedicels 3.0-5.5 mm long; bracts caducous, lanceolate, less than 0.5 mm long; hypanthium conical, with a truncate base, 3.0-4.0 mm long, mostly glabrous, but occasionally sparsely glandular-pubescent in the area near the torus; outer calyx teeth narrowly deltoid, lying over the inner teeth and projecting up to 1.5 mm above them, glandular-setulose, terminated in a setula up to 2 mm long, inner calyx teeth 1.5-2.2 mm long, partly fused, the terminal ovate lobes up to 1 mm long; the ring inside the torus glabrous; petals 4, ob-ovate, entire, 3.5-5.5 X 2.5-3.5 mm, smooth, glabrous, white; stamens all the same size; filaments 3.0-3.5 mm long, glabrous; anthers yellow; the connective with a dorsal-basal blunt tooth and distinctly dorso-elevated into an orbicular gland up to 1 mm wide; thecae 3.5 mm long, opening by a dorsally inclined to upright pore; ovary 3-locular, 2/3 inferior, the superior portion terete, the apex glabrous; style glabrous, 5.0-6.5 mm long; stigma slightly funnelform, 0.5 mm wide. Fruits globose, 5-6 mm long, black, glabrous; seeds not evident through the pericarp, truncate-obovate, 0.5-0.6 mm long, without capitate trichomes in the raphal area, with sculpturing, anticlinal walls curved, periclinal walls flat, boundaries between periclinal walls flat.
Species Description - Shrub, up to 1-3 m tall; stems with a mix of persistent, sparsely glandular and nonglandular trichomes 1.5-3.0 mm long, with a dense cover of stellulate hairs underneath, the nodes glabrous. Leaves anisophyllous, elliptic to oblong-elliptic, the larger ones (9-) 15-28 X (5-)7-15 cm, the smaller ones 7-15 X 3-6 cm, apex abrubtly acuminate, base acute to obtuse, adaxial side sparsely glandular-pubescent, abaxial side sparsely glandular-pubescent, light green, 3-5-nervate, membranaceous, ciliate serrulate; petioles 0.5-2.0 cm long, with pubescence as on stems; domatia present in the larger leaf of each pair, free from the leaf blade, ovoid to narrowly ovoid, 1.0-2.0 X 0.7-1.1 cm. Inflorescence a terminal panicle of 610 (-16) flowers, occasionally becoming axillary by overgrowth of the axillary meristem, very lax and with 3 or 4 degrees of branching, 5-20 cm long, the axis red to crimson, terete. Flowers on pedicels 3.0-5.5 mm long; bracts caducous, lanceolate, less than 0.5 mm long; hypanthium conical, with a truncate base, 3.0-4.0 mm long, mostly glabrous, but occasionally sparsely glandular-pubescent in the area near the torus; outer calyx teeth narrowly deltoid, lying over the inner teeth and projecting up to 1.5 mm above them, glandular-setulose, terminated in a setula up to 2 mm long, inner calyx teeth 1.5-2.2 mm long, partly fused, the terminal ovate lobes up to 1 mm long; the ring inside the torus glabrous; petals 4, ob-ovate, entire, 3.5-5.5 X 2.5-3.5 mm, smooth, glabrous, white; stamens all the same size; filaments 3.0-3.5 mm long, glabrous; anthers yellow; the connective with a dorsal-basal blunt tooth and distinctly dorso-elevated into an orbicular gland up to 1 mm wide; thecae 3.5 mm long, opening by a dorsally inclined to upright pore; ovary 3-locular, 2/3 inferior, the superior portion terete, the apex glabrous; style glabrous, 5.0-6.5 mm long; stigma slightly funnelform, 0.5 mm wide. Fruits globose, 5-6 mm long, black, glabrous; seeds not evident through the pericarp, truncate-obovate, 0.5-0.6 mm long, without capitate trichomes in the raphal area, with sculpturing, anticlinal walls curved, periclinal walls flat, boundaries between periclinal walls flat.
Discussion:
Tococa parviflora is closely related to T. caque-tana. They share an orbicular gland on the dorsal portion of the connective, which is not found in any other species of Tococa. Both species have been traditionally considered part of Tococa due to their anther morphology and the presence of ant domatia. However, they lack emarginate petals, and the anatomy of cells of the seed testa does not correspond to that of the Tococa sensu stricto. Additionally, the inflorescences are very lax and 4- or even 5-branched, characters usually not seen in Tococa sensu stricto.The interspecific variation in vegetative and hypanthium pubescence does not warrant the differentiation of T. tetramera and T. parviflora var. mansenrichensis as separate taxa. Tococa caquetana has been considered to be a form of T. parviflora with 4-merous flowers. These two species grow sympatrically in some areas, in which other vegetative characters that can be used to distinguish them are highly variable. However, because no specimen with both 4-and 5-merous flowers has been seen, they are treated here as separate species.Three collections from northern Amazonas in Venezuela (Sanoja et al. 2920, 3013 and Fernández et al. 6121) can be assigned to T. parviflora, but aspects of pubescence and ovary shape do not match the type specimen. The localities where these specimens were collected are at a considerable distance from the remaining known populations of this species. These specimens are tentatively determined as T. parviflora, but this Venezuelan population should be re-examined if more material becomes available.
Tococa parviflora is closely related to T. caque-tana. They share an orbicular gland on the dorsal portion of the connective, which is not found in any other species of Tococa. Both species have been traditionally considered part of Tococa due to their anther morphology and the presence of ant domatia. However, they lack emarginate petals, and the anatomy of cells of the seed testa does not correspond to that of the Tococa sensu stricto. Additionally, the inflorescences are very lax and 4- or even 5-branched, characters usually not seen in Tococa sensu stricto.The interspecific variation in vegetative and hypanthium pubescence does not warrant the differentiation of T. tetramera and T. parviflora var. mansenrichensis as separate taxa. Tococa caquetana has been considered to be a form of T. parviflora with 4-merous flowers. These two species grow sympatrically in some areas, in which other vegetative characters that can be used to distinguish them are highly variable. However, because no specimen with both 4-and 5-merous flowers has been seen, they are treated here as separate species.Three collections from northern Amazonas in Venezuela (Sanoja et al. 2920, 3013 and Fernández et al. 6121) can be assigned to T. parviflora, but aspects of pubescence and ovary shape do not match the type specimen. The localities where these specimens were collected are at a considerable distance from the remaining known populations of this species. These specimens are tentatively determined as T. parviflora, but this Venezuelan population should be re-examined if more material becomes available.
Distribution:
Amazonas Venezuela South America| Pastaza Ecuador South America| Amazonas Peru South America| Loreto Peru South America| Madre de Dios Peru South America| San Martín Peru South America| Brazil South America|
Amazonas Venezuela South America| Pastaza Ecuador South America| Amazonas Peru South America| Loreto Peru South America| Madre de Dios Peru South America| San Martín Peru South America| Brazil South America|
Common Names:
Chinchaki
Chinchaki