Miconia talamancensis Almeda

  • Family

    Melastomataceae (Magnoliophyta)

  • Scientific Name

    Miconia talamancensis Almeda

  • 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, Almeda & Nakai 4777 (CAS!).

    Description: Tree 6-15 m tall, the quadrate uppermost branchlets, vegetative buds, young leaves and petioles, inflorescence branches, and bracteoles densely covered with a rusty brown indument of asperous-headed, dendritic hairs. Leaves of a pair equal or slightly unequal in size, blades 5-nerved (the outermost pair often inconspicuous), oblong-ovate, 4.5-12 x 1.9-3.8 cm, apex caudate-acuminate to attenuate, base rounded, margin callose-serrulate, adaxially glabrous and somewhat bullate-reticulate, abaxially scattered asperous-lepidote on the actual surface but copiously covered with rusty brown dendritic or asperous-headed hairs on the elevated primary veins and moderately covered with simple spreading hairs (1-3 mm long) where the primary veins diverge at the blade base and commonly extending for some distance up the blade along the primaries (especially the median vein); petioles 1.1-4.1 cm long. Inflorescence a multiflowered panicle 6-9.5 cm long, branching 1.5-2.5 cm above the node initiating the inflorescence; flowers 5-merous on pedicels 0.5-1.25 mm long; bracts early deciduous and not seen; bracteoles also early deciduous and rarely seen at anthesis, elliptic-oblong to to long-obovate, 0.75-1.5 mm long. Hypanthia (at anthesis), moderately covered with rusty brown dendritic or asperous-headed hairs that typically do not completely conceal the actual surface. Calyx tube 0.25 mm long, the calyx lobes deltoid to broadly rounded-deltoid, 0.5 mm long; exterior calyx teeth bluntly triangular, 0.25 mm long, shorter than and not obscuring the calyx lobes. Petals, white, glabrous,obovate to ± suborbicular, rounded and often retuse to emarginate apically, 1.5-2 X 1-1.5 mm. Anthers subisomorphic, 1.5-1.75 mm long, white, oblong-obovate, widest above the middle, 4-celled, rounded to subtruncate at the apex and opening by a wide ventrally inclined opening connective lobulate-thickened dorso-basally and prolonged ventrally abaxially the thecae into two lateral lobes 0.24 mm long. Style glabrous, 3-3.5 mm long; stigma capitellate; ovary 3-locular, ¼-inferior (at anthesis), apex ± rounded and glabrous at maturity. Berry greenish-white becoming blue-black when mature, 5-6 X 5-6 mm. Seeds ovoid to ellipsoid, the testa smooth with a dull luster, 0.5-0.75 mm.

    Habitat and Distribution: Locally common in cloud forest, rocky areas bordering páramo. 2900-3350 m. COSTA RICA (Kesel & Sauer 5307, CAS); PANAMA (Croat 34886, CAS). (Endemic).

    Taxonomy and Systematics: Miconia talamancensis is very similar to M. schnellii. In M. talamancensis the uppermost internodes, young leaves, petioles, and inflorescences are densely covered with a rusty brown indument of asperous-headed or dendnitic hairs that are most reminiscent of the dendritic hairs with short arms illustrated by Wurdack (1986:64). Miconia talamancensis also has exterior calyx teeth that do not exceed or obscure the calyx lobes, and the septum separating the four anther cells does not conspicuously protrude beyond the an¬ther apex. In M. schnellii the upper internodes and inflorescence branches are completely glabrous, the calyx teeth exceed and obscure the calyx lobes, and the septum of the anther thecae protrudes be¬yond the anther apex.

    Notes: [Description based only on Mesoamerican specimens.]

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