Miconia luteola Cogn.

  • Family

    Melastomataceae (Magnoliophyta)

  • Scientific Name

    Miconia luteola Cogn.

  • Primary Citation

    Symb. Antill. (Urban) 6: 26. 1909

  • 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. de L’Ouest: lower slopes, Morne Bellefontaine, fl, Aug, E. Christ 1802 (holotype: B, destroyed); neotype here selected: Dept. L’ Ouest, Massif de la Selle, Petionville, Morne la Visite, 2050 m, fl, 9 Aug 1924, E. l. Ekman H1407 (neotype: S!; isoneotypes: GH!, IJ!).

    Description: Shrub or small tree to 3 (-7) m tall. Indumentum of multicellular, pale to moderately ferrugineous, irregularly stellate-branched hairs. Young twigs not ridged, ± rectangular in cross-section, 1-4 mm wide, becoming terete with age, the indumentum of dense, irregularly stellate-branched hairs; internodes 0.5-3.4 (-4.5) cm long. Leaves with petiole 2-12 mm long, the indumentum similar to that of twigs; blade 1.8-10 cm long, 0.25-1.8 cm wide, ± narrowly oblong to narrowly elliptic, ± flat to rolled, coriaceous, the apex acute, the base acute to cuneate, the margin plane to revolute, entire to obscurely serrulate, especially distally, ca 40-100% of margin entire, the largest teeth 0.1-0.3 mm long; venation acrodromous, basal, with prominent midvein and 2 ± inconspicuous, intramarginal secondary veins placed 0.2-1 mm in from margin, and numerous percurrent tertiary veins oriented subperpendicular to midvein, the tertiary veins connected by 1 to few quaternary veins, with composite inter-tertiary veins well developed adjacent to midvein, and the higher order veins ± orthogonal-reticulate, but higher order veins ± obscure due to thick indumentum; adaxial surface green, sometimes turning slightly yellowish when dry, initially with scattered hairs but very quickly glabrescent, the midvein impressed, secondary veins very slightly impressed to flat, tertiary and higher order veins flat, the surface appearing wrinkled or wrinkled/papillose after drying, with scattered druse crystals; abaxial surface pale ferrugineous to ferrugineous (and indumentum of veins sometimes darker than lamina), densely covered with irregularly stellate-branched hairs forming a tangled mat due to their interwoven, irregularly bent, and elongate branches, the midvein prominently raised, secondary and tertiary veins slightly raised, and higher order veins very slightly raised but obscured by thick indumentum. Inflorescences many-flowered paniculate to narrowly paniculate cymes of 2 to 5 branch pairs, 1.5-4.8 cm long, 1.2-3.2 cm across; proximal segment of lowermost inflorescence branches 2.5-11 mm long, distal internodes of inflorescence branches shorter, ultimate branches ca 0-1.5 mm long and flowers, thus, in dense, ± globose clusters, with sparse to dense, irregularly stellate-branched hairs; peduncle 0.5-1.7 cm long, with moderate to dense, irregularly stellate-branched hairs; each inflorescence branch associated with deciduous, ovate-triangular to elliptic bract, ca 1.5-2.5 mm long, 0.6-1.5 mm wide, the apices acute, the lowermost pair sometimes leaf-like; flowers in dichasia, each subtended by 2 deciduous, ± linear to narrowly ovate or obovate bracteoles, 1-2.1 mm long, 0.2-0.6 mm wide, the indumentum of irregularly stellate hairs, their apices acute. Flowers ± sessile; pedicel 0-0.3 mm long. Hypanthium cylindrical, free portion 0.7-1.3 mm long, the outer surface with sparse to moderate irregularly stellate-branched hairs, the inner surface glabrous and slightly10-ridged, the apices of the ridges not projecting. External calyx lobes 5, 0.3-0.8 mm long, 1-1.5 mm wide, ± triangular, with acuminate apex, indumentum of very sparse to sparse irregularly stellate-branched hairs; internal calyx lobes 5, 0.7-1 mm long, 1-1.5 mm wide, ovate-triangular, green, glabrous or with very few branched hairs, the apex rounded, the margin entire, but may be minutely fringed with branched hairs; calyx tube 0.2-0.35 mm long. Petals 5, 2-2.4 mm long, 1.6-2 mm wide, broadly ovate to obovate, glabrous, white; margin entire. Stamens 10, geniculate; proximal segment 1.8-2.2 mm long; distal segment 2.1-2.5 mm long, with minute dorsal projection, the anther 1.4-1.8 mm long, with fertile portion of anther sacs 1.1-1.4 mm, the connective/distal part of filament extended 0.6-1 mm beyond the base of the anther sacs. Ovary 3-loculate, ca 2/3-inferior (immature) to 3/4-inferior (mature), 1.9-2.2 mm long, 1.5-2.1 mm in diameter, ± obovoid, apically glabrous and slightly ridged, with fluted apical projection to 0.15-0.25 mm encircling the base of style; style 3.1-4.5 mm long, glabrous; stigma truncate. Berries 3.5-4 mm long, 3.5-4.3 mm in diameter [slightly immature], ± globose, probably turning blue at maturity, with ± sparse stellate-branched hairs. Seeds 1-1.5 mm long, angular-obovoid; testa ± smooth. Fig. 45.

    Habitat and Distribution: Hispaniola (Haiti and the Dominican Republic), Sierra de Baoruco/Massif de la Selle, and Cordillera Central; open, high elevation forests of Pinus occidentalis, moist pine forests, and cloud forests; (1100-) 1700 – 2680 m. Associated melastomes include Clidemia angustilamina, Miconia domingensis, M. rigidissima, and M. selleana (see also Judd 1987).

    Phenology: Flowering recorded from March through September.

    Taxonomy and Systematics: Miconia luteola is most similar (and likely related) to M. albiviridis and M. fuertesii, and it is compared to these species in the discussion following their descriptions, above. The species is especially distinctive because of its narrow leaves with acute apices (see key). The type collection of M. viejana merely represents sterile young, vigorously growing shoots with large leaves, and such specimens are known from both the Sierra de Baoruco and Cordillera Central.

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