Miconia hypiodes Urb. & Ekman

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. Dept. du Sud: Massif de la Hotte, western part, near Torbec, summit of Morne Formon, 2225 m elev., fl, 3 Jan 1927, E. L. Ekman H7552 (holotype: S!; isotypes: NY!, US!).

Description: Shrub or small tree to ca 8 m tall. Indumentum of multicellular, ferrugineous, ± stellate hairs with crisped branches. Young twigs not ridged, elliptic, 2.5-5 mm wide, sulcate, becoming terete with age, the indumentum dense, ± glabrescent; internodes 0.8-4.5 (-6) cm long. Leaves with petiole 0.3-2 cm long, the indumentum dense, ferrugineous, stellate; blade 1.5-6 (-6.7) cm long, 1.1-3.7 (-4) cm wide, ovate to elliptic or slightly obovate, flat, coriaceous, the apex rounded (with small mucro) to acute (very shortly acuminate), the base (acute) obtuse to slightly cordate, the margin plane, obscurely to clearly serrate-dentate, the largest teeth 0.3-1 mm long, becoming entire near base, ca 10-50% of margin entire; venation acrodromous, very slightly suprabasal with prominent midvein and 4 secondary veins, with 2 conspicuous secondary veins placed 2-8 mm in from margin and 2 inconspicuous secondary veins closer to margin, and numerous percurrent tertiary veins oriented subperpendicular to midvein, the tertiary veins joined by percurrent-orthogonal quaternary veins, the surface slightly wrinkled to appearing minutely papillose when dry due to scattered to numerous druse crystals; adaxial surface dark green, the indumentum dense when young, glabrescent, the midvein and major secondary veins impressed, minor secondary, tertiary veins (and higher order veins) slightly impressed; abaxial surface ferrugineous, very light golden to dark reddish-brown, densely covered with multicellular, crisped-stellate hairs to ca 0.3 mm across, the midvein and major secondary veins prominently raised, minor secondary, and tertiary veins raised, quaternary and higher order veins slightly to not at all raised. Inflorescences many-flowered, open, paniculate cymes of usually 2 or 3 (or 4) major branch-pairs, ca 2-5.5 (-7.5) cm long, 2.5-6.5 (-7) cm across; proximal segment of lowermost inflorescence branches 0.7-2.8 cm long, distal internodes increasingly shorter, the ultimate branches 0-2.5 (-4.5) mm long, all with dense pale to deeply ferrugineous stellate indumentum; peduncle 1.5-3.5 cm long; each inflorescence branch associated with a caducous, narrowly ovate to oblong or linear bract, ca 1.5-3 mm long, 0.5-1 mm wide (or possibly larger), the apices acute to obtuse; flowers usually in 3-flowered glomerules, occasionally in obvious dichasia, each flower associated with a pair of caducous, ± linear bracteoles, ca 1-1.7 mm long, 0.3-0.6 mm wide, the indumentum dense, their apices acute to obtuse. Flowers with pedicel 0.5-1.5 mm long. Hypanthium ± cylindrical, free portion ca 2-3 mm long, the outer surface with moderate to dense ferrugineous stellate to globular-stellate indumentum, the inner surface glabrous and irregularly 10-ridged, the apices of the ridges forming lobes or small irregular projections ca 0.1-0.8 mm long. External calyx lobes 5, 0.2-1.1 mm long, 0.8-2.4 mm wide, broadly to narrowly triangular with acute to acuminate apex, dense ferrugineous indumentum; internal calyx lobes 5, ca 0.7-2.1 mm long, 1.9-2.9 mm wide, broadly ovate, green, green with red tinge, to reddish, with sparse to dense ferrugineous indumentum on both surfaces, the apex rounded, the margin minutely erose; calyx tube 0.2-0.6 mm long. Petals 5, 3.8-5 mm long, 3.3-4.3 mm wide, broadly ovate to elliptic or obovate, glabrous, white; margin entire. Stamens 10, geniculate; proximal segment 1.9-2.5 mm long; distal segment 2.6-3.8 mm long, with minute dorsal projection, the anther ca 2.3-3 mm long, with fertile portion of anther sacs ca 2-2.7 mm long, the connective/distal part of filament extending ca 0.5-1 mm beyond the base of anther sacs. Ovary 3-loculate, ± inferior, ca 2.8-3.5 mm long, 2-3.3 mm in diameter, ovoid, glabrous and irregularly 10-ridged, with minute apical projections, to ca 0.5 mm long, encircling base of style; style 3-4 mm long, glabrous; stigma truncate. Mature berries 7-10 mm in diameter, globose, blue (red when immature), moderately to sparsely covered with globular-stellate hairs. Seeds 0.7-1 mm long, angular-obovoid; testa smooth. Figs. 63, 69.

Habitat and Distribution: Hispaniola (Haiti), Massif de la Hotte, especially on the peaks and upper slopes of Morne Formon and Morne Macaya; cloud forests and moist forests of Pinus occidentalis; (1800) 1900 to 2340 m. Associated melastomes include Henriettea barkeri, Mecranium alpestre, M. tricostatum, Meriania parvifolia, M. squamulosa, Miconia alloeotricha, M. apiculata, M. barkeri, M. subcompressa, M. tetrastoma, M. xenotricha, Pachyanthus cubensis subsp. blancheanus (Urban) Borhidi, and Sagraea woodsii. The high elevation forests of the Massif de la Hotte are described in more detail in Ekman (1928), Judd (1987), and Judd et al. (1990, 1998).

Phenology: Collected in flower only in January, February, and June, but probably also flowering in other months (more collections needed).

Taxonomy and Systematics: The phylogenetic position of Miconia hypiodes is somewhat unclear, but it may be related to M. subcompressa, as both share the putative apomorphies of cordate leaf bases and leaf margins clearly and irregularly serrate. Their differentiating characters are listed in the discussion under the latter species (see also key). A close taxonomic relationship between these two species was first expressed by Urban and Ekman (1929). Miconia hypiodes is also similar to M. subcompressa, M. septentrionalis, and M. jimenezii. It differs from these species in its smaller leaves (see key) and in the structure of its stellate hairs. The hairs of M. hypiodes have crisped branches, rather similar to those of the members of the crisped-hair clade (i.e., M. lanceolata, M. selleana, M. rigidissima, and relatives). In addition, M. hypiodes has non-ridged twigs, while those of M. septentrionalis and M. jimenezii are two- or four-ridged. Miconia hypiodes is eco-geographically isolated from all of its putative relatives. Although Miconia hypiodes and Miconia subcompressa occasionally can be found growing in close proximity, M. subcompressa usually grows at lower elevations, while M. septentrionalis and M. jimenezii occur in the mountains of northern Hispaniola. Like Miconia subcompressa, the populations of M. hypiodes show great variation in the coloration of the stellate hairs on the abaxial leaf surface (i.e., very light golden to dark reddish brown).

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Miconia hypiodes: Botanical line drawing. (image/jpeg)