Clidemia radicans Cogn.

  • 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: Costa Rica, Donnell Smith 4789 (US!).

    Description: Sparingly branched suffrutescent herbs or subshrubs 1-5 dm tall, the branchlets, primary and higher order leaf veins below, petioles, and inflorescences moderately arachnoid-stellate, the hairs finely matted and superficially appearing simple. Leaves strongly dimorphic in each pair, 3-5-nerved, caducously arachnoid-stellate above, glabrous on the actual surface below, apex acute to rounded, base obtuse to rounded, typically oblique, the margin entire; larger leaf at each node elliptic to elliptic-oblong and somewhat falcate, 8.5-20 cm long, 3-7.7 cm wide, smaller leaf ovate to elliptic-ovate or subrotund, 0.9-4 cm wide. Inflorescence a pedunculate modified cyme 3.5-6 cm long borne in the axils of the smaller leaves at the upper nodes; flowers 4-merous, the pedicels 0.5-1 mm long, the persistent bracteoles triangular, 0.5 X 0.5 mm. Hypanthia moderately to sparsely and caducously granulose-furfuraceous and stellulate puberulent; calyx lobes ovate, 0.5 X 1 mm, the bluntly triangular to subulate exterior teeth ca 0.3 mm long, the torus within glabrous to sparingly glandular puberulent. Petals white, minutely papillate, obovate, 1.5-2 X 1.5 mm. Filaments 1.5-2 mm long; anther sacs yellow, 2 mm long with a truncate pore; connective modified at the filament insertion into a dorso-basal gland-edged tooth ca 0.5 mm long. Ovary 4-locular, completely inferior, the apex glabrous to inconspicuously glandular-puberulent; berry 4-5 mm diam, bluish-violet when ripe. Seeds glabrous, light brown, ca 0.5 mm long.

    Habitat and Distribution: Rare, rocky stream banks in rain forest. 200-900 m. Also in Ecuador. NICARAGUA (Stevens 6418, CAS); COSTA RICA (Almeda & Daniel 7031, CAS); PANAMA (Churchill 5931, CAS).

    Notes: [Description based only on Mesoamerican specimens.]

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