Tococa filiformis (Gleason) Wurdack

  • Authority

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

  • Family

    Melastomataceae

  • Scientific Name

    Tococa filiformis (Gleason) Wurdack

  • Type

    Type. Colombia. Caquetá: between Santa Marta and Marsella, 4 Aug 1926, Woronow & Juzepczuck 6421 (holotype L [n.v.], photo US).

  • Synonyms

    Myrmidone filiformis Gleason

  • Description

    Species Description - Shrub, to 1.5-2.0 m tall; stems hirsute, the trichomes 6-9(-12) mm long, flattened at the base, caducous in the older branches, the nodes glabrous. Leaves anisophyllous, the larger ones elliptic to oblong, 11-20 X 5-8 cm, the smaller ones 4.5-6 X 1.0-2.5 cm, apex acute to acuminate, base acute to narrowly obtuse, adaxial surface sparsely adpressed-setose, abaxial surface with sparse setae on the primary and secondary veins, light green, 5-nervate (small leaves 3-nervate), membranaceous, ciliolate-serrulate; petioles 1.5-2.5 cm long (0.5-1.0 in small leaves), hirsute; domada present in the larger leaves only, free from the leaf blade, globose to ovoid, 1.2-1.7 X 1.2-1.5 cm. Inflorescence a terminal panicle, up to 30 cm long, glabrous to sparsely hirsute. Flowers on pedicels 10-20 mm long, not flared at the apex, subtended by caducous bracts, lanceolate, 1.5 X 0.1 mm; hypan-thium obconical, 4.5-5.0 mm long, glabrous to sparsely glandular-setose near the base; outer calyx teeth filiform, 11-16 mm long, inner calyx teeth broadly deltoid, connate 2/3-4/5 of the length, flaring towards the outside of the central axis of the hypan-thium, 1.1-1.3 mm long; the ring inside the torus glabrous; petals 6, elliptic to oblong, 8-9 X 5 mm, base truncate to obtuse, apex obtuse, surface pruinose to smooth, glabrous, pink; stamens all the same size; filaments 4-5 mm long, glabrous; anthers yellow; the connective with a dorsal-basal blunt tooth; thecae 5.0 mm long, opening by a ventrally inclined pore; ovary 4-locular, 2/3 inferior, the superior portion broadly conical, the apex truncate; style glabrous, 11 mm long; stigma funnelform, papillate. Fruits unknown; seeds unknown.

  • Discussion

    Tococa filiformis is a poorly known species from the foothills of the SW Colombian Andes. It is readily distinguished by its unusual broad-based trichomes similar to those on the petioles of T. pachystachya, the filiform outer calyx teeth, and the broadly conical hypanthium. The habit of T. filiformis resembles that of T. guianensis, with the exception of the pubescence.

    Tococa filiformis was originally described as Myrmidone (Gleason, 1930) based on its 6-merous flowers. However, it was later transferred to Tococa by Wurdack (1964a), because it does not have the outer calyx fused as in Myrmidone, and because he did not consider flower merosity as an important character to exclude this taxon from Tococa.

  • Distribution

    Endemic to Caquetá, SW Colombia.

    Caquetá Colombia South America|