Miconia cajalbanensis Judd, Bécquer & Majure

Description

Description Author and Date: Walter S. Judd, Eldis R. Bécquer Granados, James D. Skean Jr., and Lucas C. Majure modified from "Taxonomic studies in the Miconieae (Melastomataceae). XII. Revision of Miconia sect. Miconiastrum, with emphasis on the Miconia bicolor complex". Judd, Walter S., Bécquer Granados, Eldis R., Skean, James D., Jr., Majure, Lucas C.; J. Bot. Res. Inst. Texas. 8 (2): 457-491. 2014

Type: CUBA. [Prov. Pinar del Río:] without definite locality, 1860–1864, fl, Wright 1222 p.p. (LECTOTYPE, designated by Walter S. Judd, Eldis R. Bécquer Granados, James D. Skean Jr., and Lucas C. Majure, 2014, because holotype at B destroyed: S!; ISOLECTOTYPES: CAS on-line image #0004793!, HAC!, NY!, S!). Fig. 6C.

Description: Evergreen shrub or tree to 5 m. Young stems terete to slightly quadrangular, the indumentum of dense, ferrugineous, stellate hairs, without elongate, multicellular, non-glandular hairs, internodes 0.6–3.3 cm long, lacking longitudinal ridges, nodal line absent. Leaves isophyllous or nearly so; petiole 0.7–2.7 cm long, the indumentum of dense, ferrugineous, stellate hairs; the blade 3.4–10 × 1.3–3.5 cm, ovate to elliptic or oblong, not falcate, coriaceous, the apex acuminate, the base obtuse to rounded (or very slightly cordate), the margin plane to revolute, entire; secondary veins 2 pairs, one pair conspicuous and one pair inconspicuous, acrodromous, basal, the innermost pair joining midvein at base to 1 mm above the leaf base, the conspicuous secondary veins placed 1.8–5.5 mm in from margin, the inconspicuous secondary veins intramarginal to 1 mm in from margin, tertiary veins percurrent, oriented subperpendicular to midvein, 1.7–6 mm apart, connected by 1 quaternary vein, or not connected by quaternary veins, and these reticulate, the higher order veins reticulate, the midvein and major secondary veins impressed, tertiary veins very slightly impressed to flat, remaining veins flat on adaxial surface; the midvein strongly raised, the major secondary veins moderately to slightly raised, the minor secondary veins and tertiary veins flat to very slightly raised, and the higher order veins flat on abaxial surface; adaxial surface appearing slightly wrinkled after drying, with scattered druse crystals, and drying darker than the abaxial surface, the indumentum initially of dense, ferrugineous, stellate hairs, but very quickly glabrescent, although a few often persisting on lamina, and numerous such hairs often persisting on primary and secondary veins, especially the proximal portions thereof; abaxial surface pale green but appearing ferrugineous due to the indumentum, the surface distinctly bullate, with moderate to dense, ferrugineous, stellate hairs, 0.07–0.22 mm across, the veins with similar hairs, such hairs on lamina and veins persistent; mite domatia absent. Inflorescences terminal, paniculate cymes, 4–15.3 cm long, 4–8 cm across, with 2–5 major branch pairs, the peduncle 1.8–5 cm long, the ultimate axes (pseudopedicels) 1.7–5.5 mm long, and the numerous flowers well separated from each other; bracts 0.5–1.5 × 0.15–0.3 mm, and probably also larger, narrowly triangular, with acute apex, very quickly deciduous; bracteoles 0.3–0.8 × 0.1–0.2 mm, narrowly triangular, with acute apex, quickly deciduous. Flowers 5- or occasionally 6-merous, zygomorphic (due to positioning of the stamens), with pedicel 1–3 mm long. Hypanthium 6.5–7.5 mm long, terete and not or only slightly constricted above ovary, the free portion 3.5–4.5 mm long, 2.5–4 mm wide at the torus, the outer surface with moderate to dense stellate hairs, the internal surface smooth to very slightly longitudinally ridged, glabrous. Calyx lobes 5 (6), separate in bud, the tube 2–3.3 mm long, not tearing between lobes, with moderate stellate hairs abaxially, and moderate to dense branched to stellate hairs adaxially, the lobes 0.2–0.7 × 2–4 mm, broadly triangular to nearly obsolete, the apex rounded, with hairs similar to those of the tube, green, often red- tinged; calyx teeth present, 0.2–0.5 mm long, a rounded to conical bump near apex of each lobe or merely a raised line along midrib of lobe, green to red, with rounded to acute apex, and hairs similar to those of calyx. Petals 5 (6), 9–11 × 4.5–6.5 mm, asymmetrically obovate, spreading, white, often pink- tinged, glabrous but both surfaces densely papillose-granulate, the apex ± rounded, the base slightly narrowed to a broad attachment, the margin entire. Stamens 10 (12), isomorphic, ± geniculate near filament apex; staminal filament 7–7.5 mm long, glabrous, pale yellow, often pink-tinged, anther thecae 6.5–8.3 × 0.8–1.3 mm, subulate, straight to slightly incurved, opening by a small dorso-apical pore, yellow, often pink-tinged, the connective not prolonged below the thecae, glabrous, but the filament emerging from slight depression in sterile, minutely dorso-lobed anther base. Ovary 3-locular, ca. 3/4 inferior, ellipsoid to oblong, 4.3–5 mm long, 1.7–3 mm in diameter, apically conical or cylindric-conical, glabrous, the apex with a small, ridged collar, but lacking a crown, with axile placentation, the ovules numerous, borne on a small placenta that only slightly extends into locule; style 15–17 mm long, distally curved, white to pink, glabrous; stigma punctate, minutely papillose, 0.15–0.2 mm wide. Berries 5–9.5 mm long, 5.5–8 mm in diameter, globose to ellipsoid, purple-black, with scattered stellate hairs, the hypanthium constricted, 2–2.3 mm wide at narrowest point and 2.5–3 mm wide at torus, but appearing strongly constricted due to flaring calyx tube. Seeds 1.3–2 mm long, angular-obovoid, with ± rectangular raphe, the testa distinctly roughened due to bulging cells, except at distal end where cells ± smooth, however, raphe smooth;

Phenology: Collected in flower from April to July.

Distribution and ecology: Miconia cajalbanensis is endemic to the Cajálbana region, Prov. Pinar del Río, Cuba (Fig. 5), where it occurs in xeromorphic scrub and pinelands on serpentine soil from 150–470 m.

Taxonomy and Systematics: Miconia cajalbanensis is phenetically distinctive because of its fairly small stellate hairs and distinctly bullate abaxial leaf epidermis (see key). Its seeds are also noteworthy, having bulging testa cells, in contrast to most species of the M. bicolor complex, which have more or less smooth testa cells. Despite these distinctive characters, it has frequently been confused with the more widespread and common M. bicolor, a species with an abaxial leaf indumentum of stellate-peltate scales. The new name M. cajalbanensis, required since the epithet “coriacea” is occupied in Miconia, reflects the fact that this species is endemic to the vicinity of Cajálbana, Cuba. This is a region of exceptional endemism, with ca. 40 endemic species and several endemic genera (Borhidi and Muñiz 1985; Berazaín 1987; Borhidi 1991). Miconia cajalbanensis is considered to be critically endangered in Cuba (Berazaín 2005).