Tococa nitens (Benth.) Triana

Authority

Michelangeli, Fabián A. 2005. (Melastomataceae). Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 98: 1-114. (Published by NYBG Press)

Family

Melastomataceae

Scientific Name

Tococa nitens (Benth.) Triana

Type

Type. Guyana (British Guiana). Cuyuni-Mazaruni: sandstone regions, Schomburgk s.n. (holotype K; isotype K).

Synonyms

Miconia nitens Benth., Tococa weddellii Naudin, Tococa nitens var. weddellii (Naudin) Cogn., Tococa nitens var. major Cogn., Tococa kuhlmannii Hoehne

Description

Species Description - Shrub, to 2-3.5 (-5.5) m tall; stems glabrous, rarely the younger stems very sparsely glandular-setose, then the trichomes 1-2 mm long, caducous, the nodes glabrous. Leaves isophyllous, elliptic-oblong, rarely ovate, 6-13(-16) X 3-6(-7) cm, apex acute to obtuse, base round to obtuse, adaxial surface glabrous, rarely with very sparse caducous glandular setae, abaxial surface glabrous, green, occasionally with a red tinge near the margins on the adaxial surface, 3(-5)-nervate, occasionally the secondary and tertiary nerves red to crimson on the abaxial surface, the adaxial surface nitid, coriaceous to chartaceous, entire to slightly serrulate, ciliate; petioles 0.5-2.0 (-3.5) cm long, glabrous; domatia absent. Inflorescence a terminal panicle, 7-14 cm long, on a peduncle 3-9 cm long, with (3-)10-18(-25) flowers, the axis green, slightly flattened. Flowers on pedicels 1-3(-5) mm long, slightly flared at the apex, subtended by persistent bracts, ovate to deltoid, 1.0-1.2 X 0.8-1.1 mm; hypanthium campanulate, 5.0-6.0 mm long, glabrous; outer calyx teeth highly reduced, completely adnate to the inner calyx, glabrous; inner calyx teethobscurely 5-lobed, truncate, 1.5-1.8 mm long; the ring inside the torus glabrous; petals 5, oblong-obovate, 8-11.5(-13) X 6-7.5 mm, base attenuate, emarginate, slightly pruinose, glabrous, pink, occasionally the margins fuchsia to red; stamens all the same size; filaments fuchsia to pink, 5-6 mm long, glabrous; anthers yellow; the connective with a dorsal-basal blunt tooth; thecae 6.0-6.5 mm long, opening by a upright to dorsally inclined pore; ovary 3-locular, 1/5 inferior, the superior portion terete, the apex with a glabrous ring, 0.5-0.7 mm tall, rarely with sparse, minute, sessile glands; style glabrous, 12-14 mm long; stigma truncate. Fruits globose, 6-9 mm long, black, glabrous; seeds not evident through the pericarp, truncate-obovate, 0.8-1.4 mm long, without capitate trichomes in the raphal area, without sculpturing, anticlinal walls straight, periclinal walls slightly convex, boundaries between periclinal walls flat. Chromosome number n = 17.

Discussion

Tococa nitens is a very common species of the high elevation savannas and scrub lands of S Venezuela, Guayana, and the Planalto in Brazil, and it occasionally grows at elevations under 500 m. Although two varieties have been described based on the shape and size of the leaves, the variation within and across populations is such that the differentiation seems difficult and superfluous. Tococa nitens is closely related to T. raggiana, T. caryophyllea, and T. cinnamomea, with which it shares shinny leaves and the reduced outer calyces. Vegetatively, T. nitens looks very similar to Miconia ciliata, from which it can be distinguished by its thicker, larger, and more coriaceous leaves.

Distribution

S Venezuela, Guyana, and Brazil in savannas and open scrub vegetation from 150-1500 m. Blooming and fruiting year-round, but with a peak during the rainy season (May-Sep in the N Hemisphere and Nov-Feb in the S Hemisphere).

Goiás Brazil South America| Amazonas Venezuela South America| Bolívar Venezuela South America| Guyana South America| Amazonas Brazil South America| Mato Grosso Brazil South America| Pará Brazil South America| Roraima Brazil South America| Brazil South America|