Miconia matthaei Naudin

  • Family

    Melastomataceae (Magnoliophyta)

  • Scientific Name

    Miconia matthaei Naudin

  • Primary Citation

    Ann. Sci. Nat., Bot. 16: 176. 1850

  • 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: Holotype: Peru, Mathews 1299 (P!).

    Description: Shrubs or trees 3-15 m tall, the branchlets and inflorescences copiously covered with spreading to curved-ascending basally roughened hairs 2-3 mm long, sometimes intermixed with a ground layer of caducous furfuraceous hairs. Leaves 5-nerved (the outermost pair of nerves inconspicuous), oblong-elliptic to lanceolate, 10.5-27 X 4-10.7 cm, adaxially essentially glabrous with basally roughened smooth hairs often restricted to the channel created by the impressed median nerve, abaxially moderately to sparsely hirsute with smooth hairs 1-2 mm long, apex acuminate, base acute to obtuse, the margin entire to undulate; petioles 1.2-3 cm long. Inflorescence 6-15 cm long; flowers 5-merous, sessile, the persistent bracteoles subulate, 1.5-5 X 0.5-1 mm. Hypanthia stellulate-furfuraceous, distally intermixed with smooth basally roughened spreading hairs; calyx tube ca. 0.5 mm long, the lobes rounded to bluntly deltoid, 0.5-0.9 mm long, moderately beset with stellulate and plumulose hairs abaxially, the blunt copiously setose tuberculate teeth 0.5 mm long. Petals oblong to oblong-obovate, 2.5 4 X 1-2 mm. Anthers isomorphic, 2-3.5 mm long, white to pale yellow, narrowly oblong, the pore ventrally inclined; connective prolonged ca. 0.3 mm abaxially the thecae and dilated ventrally into two rounded to truncate gland-edged appendages. Style glabrous, 5-6 mm long; stigma truncate-capitellate; ovary 3-locular, 1/2 inferior, apex elevated into a low lobulate somewhat granulate collar; berry 5-7 X 5-7 mm, initially yellow-orange turning purple-black at maturity. Seeds deltoid to pyramidate, smooth and granulate on the convex face, 2 mm long.

    Habitat and Distribution: Uncommon, rain forest, river margins, and disturbed sites. 0-1170 m. Southern Mexico (Oaxaca and Veracruz southward), Trinidad, all the Guianas, Venezuela and Colombia south to Amazonian Bolivia and Brazil, Greater Antilles (Cuba and Jamaica). MEXICO: Chiapas (Breedlove & Almeda 57622, CAS); Tabasco (Cowan et al. 3989, CAS); BELIZE (Meave & Howe 1373, CAS); GUATEMALA (Contreras 4258, DS); HONDURAS (Evans 1678, CAS); NICARAGUA (Pipoly 3741, CAS); COSTA RICA (Almeda et al. 6570, CAS); PANAMA (Almeda & McPherson 6011, CAS).

    Notes: [Description based only on Mesoamerican specimens.]

  • Sorry, no descriptions available for this record.