Miconia hildeana Kriebel & Almeda

Description

Description Author and Date: Ricardo Kriebel and Frank Almeda, as based on the original description.

Type: PANAMA. Bocas del Toro: Vicinity of Fortuna Dam, along trail on continental divide, 08º45' N 82º15' W, 26 June 1987, G. McPherson 11090 (Holotype: CAS; Isotypes: MO, PMA[not seen]).

Description: Shrub or small tree, 2.2--7 m tall; the uppermost quadrisulcate internodes, vegetative buds, petioles and both foliar surfaces sparsely to densely beset with widely spreading, basally flattened, usually apically recurved, smooth hairs, mostly 0.5--2 mm long, underlain with sparsely distributed minute brown glands. Leaves of a pair equal to slightly unequal in length; petioles 1.2--4.7 cm, inconspicuously longitudinally ridged adaxially; blade 8.5--16 xxx 2.4--6.1 cm, thinly membranaceous, elliptic to oblong-elliptic, apex acuminate, base acute, rounded or truncate, margin entire to inconspicuously crenulate, ciliate, 3-nerved (excluding the inframarginal ill-defined pair). Inflorescence a terminal multiflowered panicle, 7.5--10.5 cm long, usually branched from the base, the quadrisulcate branches glabrescent to sparsely beset with widely spreading, basally flattened, usually apically recurved, smooth hairs; bracts and bracteoles apparently early deciduous and not seen. Flowers 5-merous, subsessile, on pedicels up to 0.5 mm, the latter moderately beset with minute glands. Hypanthia (at anthesis) broadly campanulate, longitudinally costate, 1.25--1.75 mm to the torus, sparsely beset with minute glands, especially towards the base and contiguous portions of the pedicel. Calyx tube obsolete; calyx lobes fused in bud and rupturing at anthesis into (4-)5 irregular ± hyaline lobes when dry; calyx teeth absent. Petals 1.25--1.5 mm long and 1 mm wide distally, obovate, white, apically emarginate. Stamens 10, isomorphic; filaments glabrous, complanate, ca. 1.5 mm long; anthers 0.85--1 mm long and 0.4--0.5 mm wide distally, cuneate, white, oblong to oblong-obovate, widest apically, 4-celled, with 4 ventrally inclined pores and a septum that barely protrudes beyond the pores, the dorsal cells superposed, the connective prolonged dorso-basally for ca. 0.35 mm and ventro-basally for ca. 0.15 mm but unappendaged. Ovary 3-locular, 1/2 inferior (at anthesis), depressed-conic, the apex elevated into a low cone and collar ca 0.25 mm high. Style 1.45--1.6 mm long, erect, glabrous; stigma capitellate. Berry globose, 3.5 xxx 3.5 mm, whitish blue; seeds ovoid and the testa muriculate.

Habitat and Distribution: Miconia hildeana occurs on the Caribbean slope cloud forests of the Cordillera de Talamanca in Costa Rica south to western Panama where it occurs in Caribbean and Pacific slope forests straddling the continental divide. It is restricted to a narrow altitudinal belt from 1050 to 1400 m.

Phenology: This species has been collected in flower from June through September and in January, and in fruit in January.

Etymology: The specific epithet is dedicated to Hildegard "Hilde" Haehner, mother of the first author who's dedication and support as a teacher and mother have been vital for the first author's ongoing study of Costa Rican Melastomataceae.

Taxonomy and Systematics: Miconia hildeana is recognized by its indument of widely spreading, basally flattened, usually apically recurved, somewhat roughened hairs, sparsely underlain by minute glands, thinly membranaceous, elliptic to oblong-elliptic leaf blades, small flowers, calyx that ruptures irregularly at anthesis into 4 or 5 hyaline lobes, the lack of calyx teeth, 4-celled superposed anthers, 3-locular ovary and capitellate to capitate stigma. Miconia hildeana is characterized by small 4-celled anthers that have broad apical pores. It is most reminiscent of Miconia theizans because of its small flowers, 4-celled superposed anther thecae and 3-locular ovary. It differs from that species in having chartaceous leaf blades (vs. thinly membranaceous), that are essentially glabrous (vs. pubescent). It is also similar to M. brevitheca Gleason wich differs from M. hildeana in its chartaceous 3-plinerved leaf blades (vs. thinly membranaceous 3-nerved leaf blades), indument of roughened ± flattened spreading bran-like hairs (vs. spreading, basally flattened, usually apically recurved, somewhat roughened hairs sparsely underlain by minute glands). From both of the latter two species, M. hildeana also differs in the lack of calyx teeth, presence of an irregularly rupturing calyx, and light blue to whitish berries (vs. presence of calyx teeth, non-rupturing well developed calyx, and usually red or orange berries).

Map Distribution

View all records of Miconia hildeana Kriebel & Almeda

Objects