Miconia ferruginea (Desr.) DC.

  • Family

    Melastomataceae (Magnoliophyta)

  • Scientific Name

    Miconia ferruginea (Desr.) DC.

  • Primary Citation

    Prodr. (DC.) 3: 182. 1828

  • Basionym

    Melastoma ferruginea Desr.

  • Description

    Description Author and Date: Walter S. Judd, 2010, based on Judd, W. S. (2007). Revision of Miconia sect. Chaenopleura (Melastomataceae) in the Greater Antilles. Systematic Botany Monographs 81:1-235.

    Type: HAITI. Without definite locality, J. Martin s.n. (holotype: possibly P, not seen).

    Description: Shrub or small tree to ca 3 (-5) m tall. Indumentum of multicellular, ferrugineous, irregularly stellate-branched hairs, minute globular hairs, and long-stalked, gland-headed hairs, to 1.2 mm long, or 3 mm, on teeth. Young twigs not ridged, ± rectangular or square to elliptic in cross-section, 1-4 mm wide, the indumentum of dense to moderate multicellular, ferrugineous, stellate-branched (elongate and irregularly branched) hairs and sometimes sparse to moderate long-stalked gland-headed hairs, eventually glabrescent, but hairs quite persistent on twigs with leaves; internodes 0.9-8 (-17) cm long. Leaves with petiole 0.6-5 cm long, the indumentum dense, ferrugineous, stellate-branched, sometimes with a few long-stalked, gland-headed hairs, occasionally glabrescent; blade 2.4-15 cm long, 1-5 cm wide, ovate to elliptic, flat, coriaceous, the apex acute to slightly acuminate, the base (acute) obtuse to rounded (rarely very slightly cordate), the margin plane, serrulate all the way to base, thus 0% of margin entire, the largest teeth 0.5-1 mm long, sometimes with long-stalked gland-headed hairs, to 3 mm, along margin at apex of teeth, these quickly deciduous; venation acrodromous, slightly suprabasal, with prominent midvein and 4 secondary veins, with 2 conspicuous secondary veins placed ca 2.5-9 mm in from margin, and 2 secondary veins closer to margin, and numerous percurrent tertiary veins oriented subperpendicular to midvein, the tertiary veins joined by percurrent-orthogonal quaternary veins; adaxial surface green, with indumentum of sparse to moderate stellate-branched hairs and minute globular hairs, very quickly glabrescent, the midvein and secondary veins impressed, tertiary veins impressed to flat, and higher order veins flat to very slightly impressed, the surface appearing ± papillose after drying due to presence of numerous druse crystals just beneath surface; abaxial surface densely to moderately covered with ferrugineous, stellate-branched hairs, to 0.3-0.5 mm across, on midvein and major secondary veins, such hairs sparse to moderate on minor secondary veins, tertiary veins, and some quaternary veins, the hairs persistent, to 0.3-0.45 mm, but sometimes only on the sides of veins, the highest order veins with scattered minute globular hairs (these sometimes intergrading with globular-stellate hairs), the midvein and major secondary veins prominently raised, minor secondary and tertiary (sometimes quaternary) veins slightly raised, the higher order veins flat.

    Description (cont.): Inflorescences open- paniculate to broad cymes of 2 to 4 branch-pairs, 2-9 cm long, 2-8 cm across; proximal segment of lowermost inflorescence branches 0.5-3.3 cm long, distal internodes shorter, ultimate branches 2.5-18 mm long, with moderate to dense, ferrugineous, stellate-branched hairs, often with scattered long-stalked, gland-headed hairs; peduncle 1.7-3.5 cm, with similar indumentum; each inflorescence branch associated with an early caducous, narrowly elliptic to obovate bract, ca 5-15 mm long, 1.5-5 mm wide, the apices acute to acuminate, the lowermost pair sometimes expanded and intergrading with leaves; flowers in dichasia, each subtended by 2 caducous, narrowly elliptic or obovate to linear bracteoles 3-6 mm long, 1-1.5 mm wide, the indumentum of sparse stellate-branched hairs and minute globular hairs, sometimes also a few long-stalked gland-headed hairs, their apices acute. Flowers with pedicel 0-1.5 mm long. Hypanthium cylindrical, free portion 1.4-1.6 mm long, the outer surface with sparse to dense ferrugineous, stellate-branched hairs, scattered minute globular hairs, and usually very sparse to moderate long-stalked, gland-headed hairs, the inner surface glabrous and 10-ridged, the apices of the ridges not or only very slightly projecting. External calyx lobes 5, 0.2-0.5 mm long, 0.7-2 mm wide, broadly triangular to triangular, with acute to acuminate apex, indumentum of very sparse to dense stellate-branched hairs, sparse minute globular hairs, and often a few long-stalked gland-headed hairs; internal calyx lobes 5, 0.4-1 mm long, 1.1-2.1 mm wide, broadly ovate-triangular, reddish, with very sparse to moderate stellate-branched hairs, or such hairs lacking, and sparse minute globular hairs, often ± glabrous, the apex rounded to acute, the margin entire but sometimes minutely erose due to marginal hairs; calyx tube 0.1-0.5 mm long. Petals 5, 2.5-4.4 mm long, 2.9-5 mm wide, broadly ovate to elliptic or orbicular, glabrous, white to pink (red). Stamens 10, geniculate; proximal segment 1.3-1.9 mm long, glabrous; distal segment 2-3.3 mm long, with minute dorsal projection, the anther ca 1.3-2.4 mm long, with fertile portion of anther sacs 0.8-1.8 mm long, the connective/distal part of filament extending 0.8-1.1 mm beyond the base of anther sacs. Ovary 3- or more commonly 4-loculate, half-inferior, when immature, to 2/3-inferior, when mature, 1.9-2.7 mm long, 1.6-3 mm in diameter, short-ovoid, glabrous and ridged, with fluted apical projection to ca 0.2 mm long encircling the base of style; style 2.5-3.8 mm long; stigma ± truncate. Berries 5-7 mm in diameter, globose, pale blue, but red when slightly immature, with sparse to moderate ferrugineous stellate-branched hairs, sparse minute globular hairs, and usually very sparse to moderate long-stalked, gland-headed hairs. Seeds 0.5-1.1 mm long, angular-obovoid; testa smooth. Fig. 52, 53.

    Habitat and Distribution: Hispaniola (Haiti and the Dominican Republic), Massif de la Selle/Sierra de Baoruco; cloud forests; (800) 1000 to 1900 m. Associated melastomes include: Meriania involucrata, Miconia favosa, M. lanceolata, M. pyramidalis (Desr.) DC., M. selleana, M. subcompressa, M. tetrastoma, Mecranium multiflorum, and Sagraea barahonensis Urb. & Ekman. See Judd (1987) and Fisher-Meerow & Judd (1989) for detailed discussion of associated species in the Massif de la Selle and Sierra de Baoruco, respectively.

    Phenology: Flowering material has been collected from November through August.

    Taxonomy and Systematics: Miconia ferruginea is a member of the lax-inflorescence clade (see phylogenetic analysis), which also includes M. santanana, M. adenocalyx, and the phenetically distinctive M. rigida and M. pseudorigida. These species share the putative apomorphy of inflorescences with the ultimate branches to 10-18 mm long, and thus the flowers of the dichasial inflorescence units are well separated from each other. Another potential synapomorphy is that the outer surface of their hypanthia usually has long-stalked, gland-headed hairs. Within this clade, M. ferruginea may be most closely related to M santanana, and they may form a north/south Hispaniolan vicariant pair (Fig. 54). Miconia ferruginea is immediately recognizable because of its clearly and irregularly serrate to dentate leaves (see also key). Miconia ferruginea shows a great deal of variation in leaf size, which seems to be correlated with elevation and degree of exposure, but most specimens have smaller leaves than is typical for M. santanana. Miconia ferruginea is also similar to M. adenocalyx (see key and discussion under the latter for distinguishing features). Large-leaved plants (collected in a ravine between Badeau and Camp Franc, in the Massif de la Selle) with strongly serrate margins, i.e., the largest teeth to 1.7 mm, a densely ferrugineous abaxial indumentum (in which stellate hairs are borne on the lamina as well as the major veins), elongate inflorescences with stout axes that lack long-stalked gland-headed hairs, flowers with internal calyx lobes to 1.5 mm long, external calyx lobes to 0.8 mm, and usually 5-loculate ovaries were described as M. markgrafii by Urban and Ekman (1929) and compared with M. ferruginea. Similar plants have been collected by A. H. Liogier in the Sierra de Baoruco. These specimens are completely intermediate between the sympatric M. ferruginea and M. subcompressa, and therefore are considered to be putative hybrids (see Named Putative Hybrids). Urban (1926a) suggested that the poorly known Cuban species, M. turquinensis Urb. and Ekman, was related to M. ferruginea, but this relationship cannot be confirmed until collections of M. turquinensis are made in flower and fruit.

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