Miconia gracilis Triana

  • Family

    Melastomataceae (Magnoliophyta)

  • Scientific Name

    Miconia gracilis Triana

  • Primary Citation

    Trans. Linn. Soc. London 28: 107. 1871

  • Description

    Description Author and Date: Frank Almeda, based on Almeda, F. (2009). Melastomataceae. In: G. Davidse, M. Sousa-Sânchez, S. Knapp, & F. Chiang (eds.), Flora Mesoamericana: Cucurbitaceae a Polemoniaceae. 4(1): 164-338.

    Type: Syntype: Nicaragua, Seemann 38 (K!).

    Description: Shrubs or small trees 1.5-5(-10) m tall, the vegetative buds, inflorescences, and hypanthia sparsely to moderately ferrugineous furfuraceous to glabrate. Leaves 3-nerved, firmly membranaceous when dry, elliptic to oblong-elliptic, 9.5-24 X 4-9.5 cm, essentially glabrous adaxially and abaxially, apex gradually acuminate, base acute, the margin entire; petioles 0.5-1.5 cm long. Panicle (3-)5-10 cm long, typically consisting of one or several elongate subracemose branches with numerous short branchlets bearing simple 3-flowered cymes or solitary flowers, the 5-merous flowers subsessile or on pedicels 0.5 mm long, the deciduous lanceolate bracteoles 0.5 X 0.25 mm. Calyx tube 0.25 mm long, the broadly triangular involute lobes 0.5 mm long from the sinuses, the minute exterior teeth absent or ca. 0.25 mm long and barely exceeding the lobes. Petals oblong-obovate, 2.5-3 X 1.5 mm, distally papillose abaxially with an admixture of hyaline glands. Stamens anisomorphic; anthers linear-subulate, alternately 2.5-3 mm and 2 mm long, white, the larger with a ventrally inclined pore, the smaller with a dorsally inclined pore; connective thickened dorso-basally and modified into a biauriculate collar-like appendage (sometimes with a few glands). Style glabrous, 5-6 mm long, stigma capitate; ovary 3-locular, 1/2 inferior, apex elevated into a depressed resinous-granulose bowl-like collar; berry 4-5 X 4-5 mm, purple-black at maturity. Seeds irregularly ovoid-deltoid, complexly costate-tuberculate, 0.5-1 mm long.

    Habitat and Distribution: Local, rain forest, stream banks. 0-1400 m Southern Mexico (Guerrero, Oaxaca, and Veracruz), Venezuela, Colombia and Ecuador. BELIZE (Holst 5752, CAS); HONDURAS (Evans 1060, CAS); NICARAGUA (Moreno 23401, CAS); COSTA RICA (Almeda et al. 6951, CAS); PANAMA (Almeda et al. 7588, CAS).

    Notes: [Description based only on Mesoamerican specimens.]

  • Sorry, no descriptions available for this record.