Tococa perclara Wurdack
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Authority
Michelangeli, Fabián A. 2005.
(Melastomataceae). Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 98: 1-114. (Published by NYBG Press) -
Family
Melastomataceae
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Scientific Name
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Type
Type. Venezuela. Miranda: along a moist forested quebrada in Selva de Guatopo, 43 Km NNW of Altagracia de Orituco, 41.5 km SE of Santa Teresa, 500 m, 11 Sep 1960, Steyermark 87078 (holotype US; isotype VEN)
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Description
Species Description - Erect shrub, up to 1-3 m tall; stems with trichomes arranged in 2 lines along the internodes, the trichomes 2-4 mm long, late caducous, the nodes with tufts of glandular and nonglandular trichomes up to 4-9 mm long. Leaves isophyllous, oblong-elliptic, 35-65 X 20-40 cm, apex round to acute, base round to obtuse, adaxial side glabrous to very sparsely glandular, abaxial side glabrous to sparsely minute-setulose, light green, 5-plinervate, the secondary nerves diverging 0.5-1.7 cm above the base of the blade, chartaceous to coriaceous, entire to obscurely serrulate; petioles 7-20 cm long, densely pubescent; domatia absent. Inflorescence a terminal panicle of 20-60 (or more) flowers, 10-20 cm long, the axis green, terete. Flowers on pedicels 0.5-1.0 mm long; bracts persistent, elliptic, 5-9 X 1-3 mm; hypanthium campanulate, 34 mm long, with very sparse, minute, clavate glands, otherwise glabrous; outer calyx teeth narrowly deltoid, projecting upwards parallel to the inner teeth and to the same height, densely setose, 2.5 mm long, inner calyx teeth ovate-oblong, fused up to 0.5 mm at the base, 2.5-3.0 mm long; the ring inside the torus with minute glandular trichomes; petals 5, ovate-oblong, entire, 8-9 X 4-5 mm, smooth, glandular-setulose towards the apex, white to pink; stamens all the same size; filaments 4.0-4.5 mm long, with small sessile glands; anthers blue; the connective with a dorsal-basal blunt tooth; thecae 4.5 mm long, opening by an upright pore; ovary 5-locular, 1/2 inferior, the superior portion sulcate, the apex truncate, with sparse, minute, sessile glands; style with sparse minute glands at the base, 8-9 mm long; stigma capitate. Fruits globose, 4-5 mm long, black, glabrous; seeds evident through the pericarp, truncate-obovate, 0.50.8 mm long, without capitate trichomes in the raphal area, with sculpturing, anticlinal walls curved, periclinal walls flat, boundaries between periclinal walls flat. Chromosome number n = 17.
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Discussion
Tococa perclara is endemic to the forests Guatopo National Park in the state of Miranda in Venezuela, although it might also occur in the forests of the interior coastal range. For comments on the systematic placement and overall similarities of T. perclara, see discussions under T. meridensis and T. broadwayi.
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Distribution
NC Venezuela, Guatopo National Park, endemic in understories of tropical evergreen forests up to 800 m.
Miranda Venezuela South America|