Miconia septentrionalis Judd & R.S.Beaman

  • Family

    Melastomataceae (Magnoliophyta)

  • Scientific Name

    Miconia septentrionalis Judd & R.S.Beaman

  • Primary Citation

    Brittonia 40: 383. 1988

  • Type Specimens

    Specimen 1: Isotype -- W. S. Judd 5173, verif. W. S. Judd, 2002

  • 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: DOMINICAN REPUBLIC. Prov. Puerto Plata-Santiago border: Cordillera Septentrional, Pico Diego de Ocampo, above and NW of Pinché, cloud forest, ca 1170-1250 m elev., at and just below peak, fl, fr, 25 May 1986, W. S. Judd 5173 (holotype: FLAS!; isotypes: A!, JBSD!, MO!, NY!, S!, US!).

    Description: Shrub or small tree to ca 6 m tall. Indumentum of multicellular, ferrugineous, stellate hairs. Young twigs lenticular to narrowly rhombic, with 2 well developed ridges or 2 well developed and 2 weaker ridges, becoming elliptic with age, 3-6 (-7.5) mm wide, the indumentum usually dense, glabrescent; internodes 1-5 (-7.5) cm long. Leaves with petiole 0.7-3.2 cm long, the indumentum dense, ferrugineous, stellate; blade (6.5-) 7.5-16 cm long, (1.6-) 2-5.8 cm wide, obovate, elliptic or nearly oblong, to slightly ovate, flat, coriaceous, the apex slightly to clearly acuminate, the base acute or obtuse (rounded), the margin plane, obscurely serrate, with the largest teeth 0.05-0.35 (-0.5) mm long, becoming entire toward base, ca 3.5-65% of margin without teeth; venation acrodromous, basal to slightly suprabasal, with midvein and 4 secondary veins, with 2 conspicuous secondary veins placed ca 2-9 mm in from margin and 2 inconspicuous, intramarginal secondary veins, and numerous percurrent tertiary veins oriented subperpendicular to midvein and usually separated by composite intertertiary veins (less so on leaves of rapidly growing sucker-shoots); adaxial surface dark green, the indumentum dense when young, glabrescent, the midvein and major secondary veins impressed, intramarginal secondary, and tertiary veins slightly impressed, the surface appearing minutely papillose when dry due to numerous druse crystals; abaxial surface pale-ferrugineous, densely (moderately) covered with multicellular, stellate hairs to ca 0.4 mm across, the midvein and major secondary veins prominently raised, minor secondary, and tertiary veins less conspicuously raised, higher order veins slightly to not at all raised. Inflorescences many-flowered, open, paniculate cymes of usually 3 or 4 major branch-pairs, ca 3-8.5 cm long, 3-7.5 cm across; proximal segment of lowermost inflorescence branches 1-3.3 cm long, distal internodes increasingly shorter, the ultimate branches 0.5-7 mm long, all with dense ferrugineous stellate indumentum; peduncle 2.5-11 cm long; each inflorescence branch associated with a quickly caducous narrowly elliptic to ovate or linear bract, 3-6 mm long, 0.5-1.3 mm wide (or possibly larger), the apices acute to obtuse; flowers in dichasia, each flower associated with a pair of caducous, narrowly elliptic to ovate or linear bracteoles, ca 2-4 mm long, 0.5-1 mm wide, the indumentum dense, their apices acute to obtuse. Flowers with pedicel 0.4-1 mm long. Hypanthium ± cylindrical, free portion ca 1.3-1.7 mm long, the outer surface with moderate to dense ferrugineous stellate to globular-stellate indumentum, the inner surface glabrous and 10-ridged, the apices of the ridges forming minute projections ca 0.1 mm long. External calyx lobes 5, 0.5-1 mm long, ca 1 mm wide, broadly triangular with acute to slightly acuminate apex, dense ferrugineous indumentum; internal calyx lobes 5, 1.2-1.9 mm long, 1.2-2.6 mm wide, broadly ovate-triangular, green to reddish, with sparse to dense ferrugineous indumentum on both surfaces, the apex rounded, the margin minutely erose; calyx tube 0.6-1.2 mm long. Petals 5, 3.4-5 mm long, 2.9-4 mm wide, broadly ovate to elliptic, glabrous, white; margin entire. Stamens 10, geniculate; proximal segment 1.6-2.8 mm long; distal segment 1.8-3.1 mm long, with minute dorsal projection, the anther ca 1.5-2.7 mm long, with fertile portion of anther sacs ca 1-2 mm long, the connective/distal part of filament extending ca 0.5-1.5 mm beyond the base of anther sacs. Ovary 5-loculate, half-inferior, ca 2.2-3.8 mm long, 2.9-4.8 mm in diameter, short-ovoid, glabrous and 10-ridged, with minute apical projections, to ca 0.3 (occasionally 0.8) mm long, encircling base of style; style 3-4.5 mm long, glabrous; stigma truncate. Mature berries ca 8-10 mm in diameter, globose, blue (red when immature), moderately to sparsely covered with globular-stellate hairs. Seeds 0.5-1.1 mm long, angular-obovoid; testa smooth. Figs. 68, 69.

    Habitat and Distribution: Hispaniola (Dominican Republic), Cordillera Septentrional (Loma Diego de Ocampo), the Cordillera Central (Loma Nalga de Maco), and the Sierra de Neiba; moist montane and cloud forests; 1000-1960 m. Other melastomes occurring with Miconia septentrionalis on the peak of Loma Diego de Ocampo are Mecranium septentrionale Skean, Leandra lima, Miconia dielsiana, and Clidemia umbellata. The interesting flora of this peak is described in detail in Zanoni (1990). At Loma Nalga de Maco M. septentrionalis has been recorded with Mecranium integrifolium subsp. neibense and Miconia fuertesii; in the Sierra de Neiba is known to occur with Miconia calycina.

    Phenology: Flowering throughout the year.

    Taxonomy and Systematics: Miconia septentrionalis is most closely related to M. jimenezii, and the two species are united by the apomorphies of ridged twigs and leaves in which the adjacent tertiary veins are separated by composite-intertertiary veins. Miconia septentrionalis is immediately distinguished from M. jimenezii by its twigs that are lenticular or narrowly rhombic and 2- to weakly 4-ridged in cross-section (vs. square and strongly 4-ridged). It also has a longer calyx tube (see key). Prior to its description (see Judd & Beaman 1988) this species was confused with M. subcompressa (see key and discussion under the latter species for distinguishing characteristics). Miconia septentrionalis is geographically isolated from both M. jimenezii, which is restricted to the Sierra de Neiba and Chaine des Cahos, and M. subcompressa, a species limited to southern Hispaniola (Massif de la Hotte, Massif de la Selle/Sierra de Baoruco). Although a single collection of M. septentrionalis has been made from the Sierra de Neiba, it apparently does not grow with M. jimenezii. The recognition of M. jimenezii may make M. septentrionalis paraphyletic, and M. septentrionalis is best considered a metaspecies.

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