Miconia mirabilis (Aubl.) L.O.Williams

  • Family

    Melastomataceae (Magnoliophyta)

  • Scientific Name

    Miconia mirabilis (Aubl.) L.O.Williams

  • Primary Citation

    Fieldiana, Bot. 29: 574. 1963

  • Basionym

    Fothergilla mirabilis Aubl.

  • Common Names

    camasey blanco, camasey de costilla, camasey, camasey cuatrocanales, camasey prieto

  • 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: French Guiana, Aublet s.n. (BM!)

    Description: Trees 4-10 m tall, the branchlets, abaxial leaf surfaces, bracteoles, and inflorescences moderately to densely ferrugineous stellate-pubescent. Leaves 5-nerved, elliptic to ovate-oblong, 10-18 X 5-10 cm, adaxially glabrous, apex gradually acuminate, base broadly acute to rounded, the margin entire; petioles 2.5-5 cm long. Panicle 8-15 cm long; flowers mostly 5-merous on peduncles 2-6 mm long, each subtended by a deciduous pair of elliptic-obovate foliaceous bracteoles 5-8(-11) X 5-7 mm. Hypanthia glabrous; calyx 1-1.7 mm long from the torus, the rounded glabrous lobes obscurely erose-ciliolate. Petals glabrous, narrowly obovate-oblong, 7-10 X 2-3.5 mm. Anthers somewhat anisomorphic, linear-subulate, 7-9 mm long, yellow, the pore ventrally inclined; connective thickened dorsally and dilated ventro-basally into a bifid incurved appendage 0.5 mm long. Style 7-9 mm long, sparsely stellulate puberulent and glandular-puberulent basally; stigma capitellate; ovary 3(-4-5)-locular, essentially superior or only 1/10 inferior, apex stellate-puberulent; berry 5-7 X 5-7 mm, purple-black at maturity. Seeds pyramidate, angulate and smooth or irregularly foveolate-reticulate, 1-1.5 mm long.

    Habitat and Distribution: Local, rain forest, moist evergreen forest, disturbed sites. 20-1500 m. Mexico (Guerrero), Greater and Lesser Antilles, Trinidad, all the Guianas, Venezuela and Colombia to SE Brazil. BELIZE (Holst 4061, CAS); NICARAGUA (Little 25251, CAS); COSTA RICA (Burger & Barringer 11552, CAS).

    Taxonomy and Systematics: This species is very close to M. dodecandra Cogn. but differs by the consistent characters enumerated in key.

    Notes: [Description based only on Mesoamerican specimens.]

  • Narratives

    Camasey cuatrocalles