Clidemia reitziana Cogn. & Gleason

  • 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, Biolley 7452 (US!).

    Description: Shrubs 1-4 m tall, the distal branchlets, petioles, primary and secondary leaf veins below, and inflorescences moderately to densely covered with inconspicuously stalked asperous-headed hairs and sparsely intermixed with simple spreading hairs mostly 1.5-3(-4) mm long. Leaves (5-)7-plinerved or (5-)7-nerved, ovate to elliptic-ovate, (4.5-)6.5-18 cm long, (2.5-)4-10 cm wide, above moderately strigose with smooth hairs 2-4 mm long, below moderately hirtellous to substrigose with smooth hairs 0.5-1.5 mm long, apex short-acuminate, base rounded to obtuse (often obliquely so), the margin ciliate, bluntly undulate-dentate to entire. Inflorescence a pseudolateral paniculiform cyme 2-3 cm long, branched at or near the base; flowers 5-merous, subsessile or with pedicels to 0.5 mm long, the persistent bracteoles subulate to oblong-apiculate, 1 X 0.5 mm. Hypanthia moderately covered with simple spreading hairs and a moderate to dense understory of asperous-headed brown hairs that are typically intermixed with or sometimes replaced by a sparse caducous cover of resinous-granular hairs; calyx lobes depressed triangular, 0.5 X 1 mm, the bluntly conic, exterior teeth ca 1 mm long (incl. the apical hair), the torus within conspicuously ciliate. Petals white, densely granulose on both surfaces, oblong, 1.5 X 1-1.5 mm. Filaments 1.5 mm long; anther sacs yellow, 2-2.5 mm long, the pore truncate but the apical portion of the anther conspicuously curved toward the dorsal side; connective modified into a dorso-basal gland-edged spur ca 0.3 mm long. Ovary 5-locular, completely inferior, the apex sparsely ciliate; berry 5-6 mm diam, bluish-purple when ripe. Seeds smooth, brown, 0.5 mm long.

    Habitat and Distribution: Local, river banks and desturbed sites in lowland and lower montane rain forest. 50-1300 m. NICARAGUA (Neill 7173, CAS); COSTA RICA (Almeda et al. 6830, CAS); PANAMA (de Nevers 8449, CAS). (Endemic).

    Taxonomy and Systematics: The predominant indument in this species was described by Gleason as furfuraceous (bran or scurfy patches). It actually consists of short-stalked asperous-headed hairs that are clavate to globose in outline. The less conspicuous caducous, resinous-granular hairs that occur on hypanthia are sometimes present on distal internodes and the elevated veins and venules of the lower leaf surface of younger leaves but they are typically concealed by the more copious asperous-headed hairs. This species, which appears to be tolerant of deep forest shade, may flower when less than 1 m tall. Consequently the labels on at least two collections examined describe it as a suffrutescent herb.

    Notes: [Description based only on Mesoamerican specimens.]

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