Miconia stenobotrys (Rich.) Naudin

  • Family

    Melastomataceae (Magnoliophyta)

  • Scientific Name

    Miconia stenobotrys (Rich.) Naudin

  • Primary Citation

    Ann. Sci. Nat., Bot. ser. 3, 16: 240. 1851

  • Basionym

    Melastoma stenobotrys Rich.

  • 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: "montibus insulae Hispaniolae," L. C. Richard s.n., P, not seen.

    Description: Shrub or small tree to ca 4 m tall. Indumentum of multicellular, minute, globular to matted and ± irregularly branched hairs, these usually ephemeral and all parts of plant glabrescent, sometimes long-stalked, gland-headed hairs to 1.9 mm long (rarely elongate, stout-stalked, shortly branched hairs). Young twigs rectangular to square in cross-section, 2-5 mm wide, non-ridged with a nodal line, or with 4 flanges, 2 extending below each point of petiole attachment and joining to form a very obscure to conspicuous U-shaped flange 0.2-2.3 mm broad at the adjacent lower node, these sometimes restricted to inflorescence axis, glabrous, or with very sparse, minute, globular to matted and ± irregularly branched hairs, these ephemeral, sometimes also with very sparse to sparse, long-stalked, gland-headed hairs, especially on portion of internode just above node (rarely with sparse, elongate, stout-stalked, shortly branched hairs); internodes 0.5-4.5 (-9) cm long. Leaves with petiole 2-24 mm long, the indumentum sparse, minute, globular to matted and branched hairs, quickly glabrescent, occasionally with very sparse, long-stalked, gland-headed hairs (or rarely elongate, stout-stalked, shortly branched hairs); blade 2.5-15.7 cm long, 0.8-3.7 cm wide, ovate to oblong (elliptic), slightly to strongly V-folded along midvein and falcate, coriaceous, the apex acuminate, the base acute to rounded (slightly cordate), the margin plant to slightly revolute distally, entire, serrulate only near tip, or serrulate/serrate to near base, ca 5-100% of margin entire, the largest teeth (if present) 0.1-0.6 mm long, especially near base, often with long-stalked, gland-headed hairs along margin at apex of teeth in juvenile shoots (occasionally in flowering shoots as well); venation acrodromous, suprabasal to nearly basal, with prominent midvein and 4 (or 2) secondary veins, with 2 conspicuous secondary veins placed ca 0.7-6 mm in from margin, and usually 2 inconspicuous secondary veins closer to margin, and numerous percurrent tertiary veins oriented subperpendicular to midvein, the tertiary veins usually separated by composite inter-tertiary veins, especially proximally, the higher order veins orthogonal-reticulate; adaxial surface usually greenish (rarely slightly yellow) when dry, ± glabrous, but initially with sparse, minute, globular hairs to matted, ± irregularly branched hairs, these quickly caducous, the midvein impressed, major secondary veins slightly impressed to flat, minor secondary and higher order veins flat, the surface appearing wrinkled after drying when druse crystals sparse (or ± papillose due to presence of numerous druse crystals just beneath surface); abaxial surface light green to red tinged, sparsely covered with minute, globular hairs and inconspicuous, matted, ± irregularly branched hairs, these usually quickly caducous, occasionally with a few long-stalked, gland-headed hairs on midvein and major secondary veins, occasionally also with very few ferrugineous, elongate and irregularly branched hairs in axils of secondary veins with midvein, ± glabrescent, the midvein prominently raised, the 2 major secondary veins slightly raised or flat, minor secondary and higher order veins flat, junctions of major secondary veins and midvein usually with pouch-like mite-domatia.

    Description (cont.): Inflorescences paniculate to extremely elongate cymes of 3 to 13 major branch-pairs, each of which is ± a raceme-like cyme, 4.5-31.5 cm long, 2-5 cm across; proximal segment of lowermost inflorescence branches 0.4-2 cm long, distal internodes of inflorescence branches increasingly shorter, ultimate branches 0.5-7 mm long, glabrous or with very sparse, minute, globular hairs (occasionally with sparse, long-stalked, gland-headed hairs); peduncle 1.4-5 cm, with similar indumentum; each inflorescence branch associated with a caducous, ovate, elliptic, to linear bract, ca 4-35 mm long, 1-8 mm wide, the apices acuminate to acute (rounded), the lowermost pair sometimes expanded and intergrading with leaves; flowers in dichasia, each subtended by 2 caducous, obovate bracteoles, ca 3-8 mm long, 1.3-4 mm wide, glabrous or with indumentum of sparse, minute globular hairs, but with fringe of minute, unbranched to poorly branched hairs along margin, their apices rounded and hooded. Flowers with pedicel 0.3-1 mm long. Hypanthium cylindrical, free portion 1.1-1.7 mm long, the outer surface glabrous or very sparsely covered with minute, globular or ± matted hairs, the inner surface glabrous and slightly ridged, the apices of the ridges not extending beyond rim or forming minute projections 0.05-0.1 mm long. External calyx lobes 5 (4), 0.05-0.7 mm long, 1.4-2.4 mm wide, broadly triangular to ± flat, with acute to acuminate apex, glabrous, sometimes with 1 to 3 long-stalked, hair-like projections 0.2-0.5 mm long at or near apex of each lobe; internal calyx lobes 5 (4), 0.5-2 mm long, 1.5-2.6 mm wide, broadly ovate to ovate-triangular, pale green to red, ± glabrous, the apex rounded (acute), the margin entire to minutely erose, calyx tube 0.2-0.5 mm. Petals 5 (4), 2.8-4.5 (-5.5) mm long, 2.2-3.6 mm wide, broadly ovate or elliptic to orbicular, glabrous, white (to red-tinged abaxially); margin entire. Stamens 10 (8), geniculate; proximal segment 1.7-2.6 mm long, distal segment 2.4-3.1 mm long, with minute dorsal projection, the anther 1.7-2.1 mm long, with fertile portion of anther sacs 1.4-1.7 mm long, the connective/distal part of filament extended 0.6-1.2 mm beyond the base of the anther sacs. Ovary (2 or) 3- (or 4-) loculate, ca 2/3- to 3/4-inferior, 2-2.8 mm long, 2-3 mm in diameter, ovoid, short ovoid, or subglobose, glabrous and ridged, with fluted apical projection ca 0.1-0.6 long encircling base of style; style 3-6.7 mm long. Berries 5-6.5 mm long 5-7 mm in diameter, globose to subglobose, pale gray-blue, but red when immature, ± glabrous. Seeds 0.7-1.3 mm long, angular-obovoid; testa smooth to very slightly and minutely roughened. Figs. 35, 36.

    Habitat and Distribution: Hispaniola, Cordillera Central/Massif du Nord (Dominican Republic/Haiti), Massif Montagnes Noires/Massif des Cahos (Haiti), and Montagnes Trou D'Eau (Haiti); moist forests of Pinus occidentalis (and less commonly broad-leaved thickets); 550 to 1400 m. Associated melastomes include: Calycogonium reticulatum (Cogn.) Judd & Skean, Calycogonium spp., Clidemia angustilamina, C. hirta, C. umbellata, Mecranium acuminatum (DC.) Skean, M. puberulum, Meriania involucrata (Desr.) Naudin, Miconia adenocalyx, M. calycina, M. laevigata, M. mirabilis, M. prasina, M. punctata, M. santanana, M. tetrandra, Sagraea scalpta, Tetrazygia crotonifolia, T. longicollis, and Tibouchina longifolia.

    Phenology: Flowering throughout the year.

    Taxonomy and Systematics: Miconia stenobotrys is one of the most widely distributed and morphologically variable of the Hispaniolan members of Miconia sect. Chaenopleura. It is most closely related to M. krugii and M. samanensis, two other members of the falcate-leaved clade (see discussion under M. quadrangularis). Miconia stenobotrys is most easily distinguished from these species by the presence of pouch-domatia at the junctions of the major secondary veins and the midvein on the abaxial leaf surface, and its paniculate to extremely elongate cymes of 3 to 13 major branch-pairs, each of which is a raceme-like cyme. The length of these inflorescences varies from 4.5 to 31.5 cm, and the proximal segment of the lowermost inflorescence branches is 0.4-2 cm long. Other characters distinguishing M. stenobotrys from M. krugii and M. samanensis are presented in the discussion associated with these two species. The species is elevationally and/or geographically isolated from the related M. krugii and M. samanensis. Miconia stenobotrys is characteristic of open pineland habitats, occurring from 550 to 1400 m, while M. krugii occurs in moister pine forests or cloud forests from 1200 to over 2500 m. They are thus isolated ecologically. Miconia stenobotrys and M. samanensis occur at a similar range of elevations (the latter usually from 200-950 m), but the two have never been collected growing together. They are geographically isolated, although both grow in the Cordillera Central. Miconia stenobotrys, as here circumscribed, includes M. azuensis, M. buchii, M. artibotinensis, and M. leptoneura, as well as populations with 4-flanged stems, i.e., two flanges extending below each point of petiole attachment and joining to form a conspicuous, U-shaped flange ca 1-2 mm broad at the adjacent lower node, that occur in the Dominican Republic, Prov. San Juan, above Los Fríos, in the Parque Nacional José del Carmen Ramírez (e.g., García 1245, Judd 6693, 6694, 6698, Skean 3269) and somewhat similar plants collected by E. Ekman on the nearby Loma la Vieja (i.e., Ekman H13410 and H13441). The twigs of most populations are square to rectangular in cross-section, but lack or nearly lack flanges. This broad circumscription of M. stenobotrys is based on a detailed phenetic study of the pattern of phenetic variation among its populations (Judd & Karpook 1993). The pattern of inter- and intra-populational variation clearly supports the inclusion of the above listed taxa within a broadly circumscribed M. stenobotrys, indicating that there are no phenetic discontinuities among these plants, although some divergence is evident between specimens from the Jarabacoa--Constanza/El Rubio regions, the Lagunas de Cenobí--La Cidra--La Leonor/Hinche regions, the Parque Nacional José del Carmen Ramírez--El Frío region, and the Morne Belanse region.

    Taxonomy and Systematics (cont.): Plants of the Río Maguá region (as represented by Valeur 736), the Restauración--Río Artibonito region and populations to the west in Haiti (e.g., Ekman H3396, Ekman H6275), and Loma la Vieja region (as represented by Ekman H13440, Ekman H13441) are more or less intermediate between the phenetically divergent populations of the Constanza--Jarabacoa and the Lagunas de Cenobí--La Cidra--La Leonor regions (Judd & Karpook 1993). The strongly stem-flanged plants of the Parque Nacional José del Carmen Ramírez--El Frío region, although distinctive, show an overlapping pattern of phenetic variation with plants of the Lagunas de Cenobí--La Cidra--La Leonor region, the Hinche region, and the Loma la Vieja region. Considerable variability is present, but no correlated character states were found that could be used to delimit the members of M. stenobotrys s.l. into two or more phenetically delimited species. Variation is especially remarkable in extent of flange development (stems lacking flanges to conspicuously 4-flanged), marginal condition (leaves entire to clearly serrate, and teeth with or without long-stalked gland-headed hairs), indumentum (stems and leaves with multicellular, long-stalked, gland-headed hairs, or such hairs lacking), and placement/number of secondary leaf veins (2 or 4, placed ca 0.7-6 mm in from margin, and ± basal to strongly suprabasal). Flower size is also quite variable, especially the length of the petals and internal calyx lobes. As with the vegetative and inflorescence characters, floral features show more or less continuous variation among populations. Certain character states are quite broadly distributed within the species' geographical range, although some are more common in a particular geographic region than another; see discussion below. It is clear that different character states show independent geographical trends. Thus a broad circumscription of Miconia stenobotrys is here accepted (see also Judd and Karpook 1993). The geographical pattern of variation among populations of Miconia stenobotrys is outlined below. The populations in the northwestern portion of the Cordillera Central (Dominican Republic), especially in those in the vicinity of Jarabacoa, Constanza, and El Rubio, show a high frequency of individuals with strongly toothed leaves. Some individuals have a very slight development of stem-flanges, although most lack such structures or have them restricted to the primary inflorescence axis. Plants with leaf blades having strongly suprabasal secondary veins are more frequent in these populations than in those further east in the Cordillera Central or in the mountains of Haiti. Populations of the Lagunas de Cenobí--La Cidra--La Leonor region (Cordillera Central, Dominican Republic) and the area northeast of Hinche (Massif du Nord, Haiti) are distinctive because of their entire margined leaves with the secondary veins placed very near the lamina margin. Occasional plants with flanged stems occur in these regions. Populations in the vicinity of Loma la Vega and the "Forestry House" (near El Frío) at the Parque Nacional José del Carmen Ramírez (Cordillera Central, Dominican Republic) are very similar to those of the La Cedra, La Leonor, and Hinche populations, but show a much stronger and consistent development of stem-flanges. Interestingly, the nearby and morphologically similar population near Las Lagunas (to the south of Loma la Vieja) lacks stem flanges.

    Taxonomy and Systematics (cont.): Plants of the Restauración--Río Artibonito region (Cordillera Central, Dominican Republic) and populations to the west in Haiti are slightly serrulate and show a variable development of stem flanges. Plants of the Río Maguá region (Cordillera Central, Dominican Republic) show variation in degree of marginal toothing and inflorescence length. These plants are thus somewhat intermediate between the three groups of populations discussed above (see Judd and Karpook 1993). The plants of the Morne Belance region (Massif du Nord, Haiti) are distinguished in that their leaves are strongly serrate with a long-stalked, gland-headed hair at the apex of each tooth. Plants of other populations usually lack such hairs on their teeth. Juvenile leaves or leaves of rapidly growing shoots, however, usually possess such hairs, even in populations in which reproductive-shoot leaves are more or less entire. A similar pattern of variation, i.e., long-stalked, gland-headed hairs on teeth of juvenile leaves, is seen in several other species, e.g., M. adenocalyx Urban & E. Ekman, M. ferruginea (Desr.) DC., M. krugii, M. samanensis, and M. santanana. This condition, therefore, is not used as the basis for segregating the Morne Belance plants as M. buchii. Long-stalked, gland-headed hairs are also moderately scattered on stems and leaves of these plants. These hairs, however, are also found on stems (and less commonly leaves) of some plants in the remaining populations of M. stenobotrys. In fact, the density of indumentum composed of gland-headed hairs is often quite variable, even within a single population. It is noteworthy that in the strongly flanged plants of the Loma La Vieja--El Frío region these hairs are usually lacking. In summary, although certain plants of particular populations are quite different in appearance from some plants of other populations, when the total pattern of variation is considered, no diagnosable units within Miconia stenobotrys are discernable (see Judd & Karpook 1993). The similarity of M. buchii, M. artibonitensis, and M. leptoneura to each other was even noted by Urban and Ekman, when they described these species; Urban did not suggest any affinities for his M. azuensis, but this species was described from a sterile specimen. An unusual specimen (Cordillera Central, Monción, SW spur of Monte Gallo, ca 1000 m, Ekman H12895, S) is intermediate between M. stenobotrys and M. santanana and may represent a hybrid between these two sympatric species. This specimen is aberrant in its broadly branched cymes (with cymose-branched lower branches), stems inflorescence axes with numerous long-stalked gland-headed hairs and persistent, ferrugineous, stellate-branched hairs, and ± non-falcate leaves with tertiary veins slightly abaxially raised. The description of Miconia stenobotrys was accompanied by a beautiful illustration (Richard 1816, pl. 30).

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