Miconia pyramidalis (Desr.) DC.

  • Family

    Melastomataceae (Magnoliophyta)

  • Scientific Name

    Miconia pyramidalis (Desr.) DC.

  • Description

    Description Author and Date: W. Judd, January 2012

    Type: TYPE: Lesser Antilles, Guadeloupe, without exact locality. M. Badier (holotype: P-JU, not seen).

    Description: Shrub or less commonly a small tree to ca. 3 (-10) m tall. Indumentum of multicellular, ferrugineous, globular-stellate or stellate hairs with arms radiating outward and upward, usually ± sessile but rarely with elongate stalks (a few hairs on petiole and adaxial surface of blade-midvein), and minute simple hairs with two elongated apical cells. Young twigs round to ± rectangular in cross section, 1.1-5.2 mm wide, becoming ± terete with age, the indumentum of moderate to dense globular-stellate hairs; internodes 1-8.5 (-19.6) cm long. Leaves opposite, slightly anisophyllous, with petiole 0.8-8.7 cm long, the indumentum moderate to dense, similar to that of the twigs, but a few hairs with long stalks; blade ovate to elliptic, usually broadly so, 4.3-29.3 x 1.9-12.5 cm, flat, coriaceous, the apex acuminate to long-acuminate, the base acute to rounded, the margin serrate, becoming serrulate to entire toward base (ca. 15-40% of margin entire basally), plane to slightly revolute, the largest teeth 0.22-0.56 mm long; venation acrodromous, ± basal, with prominent midvein and 2 pairs of secondary veins, with a pair of conspicuous secondary veins placed 5.5-20 mm from margin, and a pair of inconspicuous secondary veins placed 0.9-4 mm from margin, and numerous percurrent tertiary veins oriented subperpendicular to midvein, the tertiary veins usually connected by quaternary veins; adaxial surface green, drying a dark brownish green, essentially glabrous at maturity, but densely to moderately covered with ferrugineous, stellate or globular-stellate hairs on veins and lamina when young, those along the midvein rarely long-stalked; the veins flat, or the midvein, secondary veins, tertiary veins, and some quaternary veins slightly impressed, the surface ± obscurely punctate after drying due to presence of scattered druse crystals; abaxial surface light green (even after drying), moderately to sparsely covered with ferrugineous, globular-stellate hairs on midvein through tertiary veins, the higher order veins and lamina mainly with moderately to sparsely distributed minute, simple hairs with 2 elongated apical cells; midvein prominently raised, secondary and tertiary veins somewhat raised, quaternary and higher order veins usually flat. Inflorescences terminal, many flowered, pyramidal cymes of 3 to 12 major branch pairs, 4.1-18.5 cm long, 2-12 cm across; proximal segment of lowermost inflorescence branches 0.6-4.7 cm long, distal internodes of inflorescence branches slightly shorter, and inflorescence branches often indeterminate, ending in dense clusters of floral buds, the ultimate branches 1-5.75 mm long, and flowers usually in obvious dichasia; inflorescence branches with ± dense ferrugineous hairs similar to those of twigs, along with scattered simple hairs; peduncle 1.2-5.3 cm long, with similar indumentum; each inflorescence branch associated with ± deciduous, triangular to narrowly triangular bract, 0.8-5.5 x 0.2-1 mm, the bract apex acute to acuminate; each flower subtended by 2 triangular, narrowly triangular, to linear bracteoles, 0.5-1.1 x 0.15-0.67 mm, with globular-stellate and simple hairs, the apices acute; the lowermost inflorescence branches sometimes in the axils of small leaves. Flowers ± sessile. Hypanthium cylindric-ovate, free portion ca. 1.13-1.57 mm long, the outer surface with globular-stellate hairs and simple hairs, the inner surface glabrous, ± slightly ridged. Calyx teeth 5, 0.2-0.53 mm long, a narrowly triangular emergence with acute apex, indumentum of stellate and simple hairs; calyx lobes 5, 0.15-0.54 x 0.94-2 mm, broadly triangular to almost obsolete, forming a rim with small triangular projections, pale green to whitish, with stellate and simple hairs, the apex rounded to acute, the margin entire; calyx tube 0.47-0.85 mm long. Petals 5, broadly obovate to elliptic, 3.3-4.3 x 2-3.07 mm, glabrous, white, imbricate, with apex rounded, inrolled, forming a small asymmetrical notch; margin entire. Stamens 10, geniculate, isomorphic, white, glabrous, and arranged ± zygomorphically; filament 2.4-4.9 mm long, the anther 2.47-4 mm long, with fertile portion of anther sacs 1.5-3 mm, opening by an elliptical, apical pore, the anther base slightly lobed. Ovary 3-loculate (N=14), 1/2- to 2/3-inferior, ± ovoid to globose, 1.3-3.3 x 1.07-1.9 mm, glabrous, not ridged or only slightly ridged toward apex (and the ridges often ending in minute, rounded, apical projections), with collar 0.2-0.63 mm high encircling the base of style; style 6-7.4 mm long, terete, glabrous; stigma slightly expanded to truncate. Berries ± globose, 3-6.5 x 3-6 mm, with 10 longitudinal ribs composed of lignified, thick-walled cells, these especially prominent when fruits immature, at maturity fruits rapidly plumping and turning purple-black, with scattered stellate and simple hairs. Seeds obovoid, 0.75-1 mm long, the testa roughened as a result of bulging, isodiametric cells.

    Habitat and Distribution: Distribution and ecology: Miconia pyramidalis is a common shrub in various moist montane forests, cloud forests, broad leaved forests on limestone, savanna edges, various disturbed habitats, and moist forests of Pinus occidentalis Sw., from near sea-level to 1300 m elevation in Hispaniola. The species occurs in the Cordillera Septentrional/mountains of the Samaná Peninsula, Cordillera Central/Massif du Nord, Massif de la Hotte, Massif de la Selle/Sierra de Baoruco, Massif des Matheux, Montagnes du Trou d'Eau/Sierra de Neiba, Sierra Martin Garcia, and the Los Haitises region. Miconia pyramidalis is remarkable in its very broad elevational range. The species also is characteristic of moist montane forests of Puerto Rico and Cuba, but also occurs in such forests in Jamaica, where it appears to be less common.

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