Miconia foveolata Cogn.
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Family
Melastomataceae (Magnoliophyta)
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Scientific Name
Miconia foveolata Cogn.
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Primary Citation
Jahrb. Königl. Bot. Gart. Berlin 4: 281. 1886
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Type Specimens
Specimen 1: Isotype -- P. E. E. Sintenis 1335, verif. W. S. Judd, 2001
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Common Names
Puerto Rico johnnyberry, camasey
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Description
Description Author and Date: Walter S. Judd, 2010, based on Judd, W. S. (2007). Revision of Miconia sect. Chaenopleura (Melastomataceae) in the Greater Antilles. Systematic Botany Monographs 81:1-235.
Type: PUERTO RICO. Sierra de Luquillo, Monte Jimenes, fl, fr, 9 Jul 1885, P. Sintenis 1335 (holotype: B, destroyed; isotypes, BM!, GH!, L!, M!, MICH!, MO!, MSC!, NY!, S (2 sheets)!, US!).
Description: Shrub or small tree to 4 m tall. Indumentum of multicellular, persistent, ± red, long-stalked, gland-headed hairs, long-stalked non-glandular hairs, minute-globular hairs, and ferrugineous, quickly deciduous, irregularly stellate-branched hairs. Young twigs not ridged, ± rectangular in cross-section, 2-5 mm wide, becoming ± terete with age, the indumentum of moderate to dense, red, long-stalked gland-headed hairs, to 0.7-1.1 mm long, and/or long-stalked non-glandular hairs, to 0.9-1.5 mm long, along with minute-globular hairs; internodes 0.8-8.8 cm long. Leaves with petiole 1.2-10.4 cm long, the indumentum similar to that of twigs; blade 5.3-22.3 cm long, 2.3-10.1 cm wide, ovate, ± flat, coriaceous, the apex acuminate, the base rounded to cordate, the margin plane to revolute, irregularly serrulate-ciliate, but often appearing merely entire-ciliate due to revolute condition, ± toothed-ciliate to base, the largest teeth 0-0.5 mm long, associated with long-stalked hairs; venation acrodromous, ± basal, with prominent midvein and 6 secondary veins, with 2 conspicuous secondary veins placed 6-24.5 mm in from margin, 2 somewhat conspicuous to ± inconspicuous secondary veins placed 2-9.5 mm in from margin, and 2 inconspicuous, intramarginal secondary veins, and numerous percurrent tertiary veins oriented subperpendicular to midvein, the tertiary veins connected by several to numerous percurrent quaternary veins, and the higher order veins orthogonal-reticulate; adaxial surface green, initially with a few stellate-branched to elongate-branched hairs, but these usually very quickly deciduous, with moderate to dense, long-stalked, thick-based, mostly gland-headed to mostly non-glandular hairs (arising from near apices of bullate units of lamina that are bounded by impressed tertiary and quaternary veins) and minute-globular hairs, the midvein, secondary veins, and tertiary veins strongly impressed, quaternary veins slightly to strongly impressed, fifth-order veins slightly impressed to flat, higher order veins ± flat, and the leaf thus clearly bullate, the surface appearing minutely wrinkled when dry, with moderate to sparsely scattered druse crystals; abaxial leaf surface pale green, ± moderately covered with long-stalked gland-headed to non-glandular hairs and minute-globular hairs, the former mainly on midvein to quaternary or quinary veins, ± lacking on highest order veins, the hairs ca 0.1 mm across, the primary to tertiary and often also quaternary veins strongly raised, quinary veins slightly raised to ± flat, and higher order veins flat.
Description (cont.): Inflorescences many-flowered, rounded to paniculate cymes of (2-) 3 to 5 branch-pairs, 2-13 cm long, 2.8-7.5 cm across; proximal segment of lowermost inflorescence branches 0.6-2 cm long, distal internodes of branches shorter, ultimate branches 2-5 mm long, and flowers, thus, usually ± separated from each other, moderate to dense, red, long-stalked, gland-headed to non-glandular hairs; peduncle 1.8-6.5 cm long, with similar indumentum; each inflorescence branch associated with caducous, oblong to ovate-triangular or narrowly obovate bract, 1.9-4.5 mm long, 0.6-1 mm wide, the apices acute, the lowermost pair sometimes leaf-like; flowers in dichasia, ± separated from each other, each subtended by 2 caducous, linear to narrowly triangular or narrowly obovate bracteoles, 1.3-2.6 mm long, 0.4-0.7 mm wide, the indumentum of long-stalked and minute-globular hairs, their apices acute. Flowers subsessile; pedicel ± 0-1 mm long. Hypanthium cylindrical, free portion 1.4-1.9 mm long, the outer surface with moderate to dense red, long-stalked, gland-headed hairs and minute-globular hairs, the inner surface glabrous and non-ridged (to very obscurely 10-ridged), lacking apical projections. External calyx lobes 5 (or 6), 0.8-1.4 mm long, 2.2-3.1 mm wide, ± narrowly triangular and strongly thickened distally, with bluntly conical apical region possessing a small inward-pointing mucro, with moderate to dense, red, long-stalked, gland-headed hairs (that often obscure small mucro) and minute-globular hairs; internal calyx lobes 5 (or 6), 0.9-1.9 mm long, 2.2-3.15 mm wide, ovate-triangular, green with red tinge to red, glabrous, the apex rounded (acuminate), the margin entire (or with a few minute fringing hairs); calyx tube 0.3-0.6 mm long. Petals 5 (6), ± erectly positioned, i.e., not reflexed as in the other species, 3.8-4.3 mm long, 2.5-3.1 mm wide, broadly ovate to obovate, glabrous, white or white with red-tinge at apex; margin entire. Stamens 10 (12), geniculate; proximal segment 2.4-2.9 mm long, distal segment 2.5-3.3 mm long, with minute dorsal projection, the anther 1.4-1.8 mm long and bent back at point of attachment to extended connective, with fertile portion of anther sacs 1.1-1.6 mm, the connective/distal part of filament extended 1.3-1.8 mm beyond the base of anther sacs. Ovary 3-loculate, ± inferior, 2.8-3.3 mm long, 2.8-4.1 mm in diameter, obovoid, apically glabrous, very slightly ridged apically, with slightly lobed apical projection to 0.2-0.3 mm encircling base of style; style 5-7.6 mm long, glabrous; stigma truncate to rounded. Berries 8-11 mm in diameter, globose, red when immature and turning pale blue at maturity, with indumentum similar to hypanthium, but slightly less dense. Seeds 0.55-0.95 mm long, angular-obovoid; testa ± smooth. Fig. 74, 75.
Habitat and Distribution: Puerto Rico, Sierra de Luquillo; moist montane and elfin forests; (360) 600-1075 m.. Associated melastomes include Clidemia cymosa, Henriettea squamulosa, Mecranium latifolium, Miconia pachyphylla Cogn., M. pycnoneura, M. racemosa, M. sintenisii, Nepsera aquatica, and Tetrazygia urbanii; see also Gleason & Cook (1927).
Phenology: Flowering throughout the year.
Taxonomy and Systematics: Miconia foveolata is a member of the bullate-leaved clade, which also includes M. favosa, M. xenotricha, M. sintenisii, M. howardiana, M. campanensis, and probably also M. pycnoneura (Judd et al. 1995). Putative synapomorphies for this clade include stems with prominent lenticels at the nodes (lost in M. pycnoneura), leaves with a bullate lamina and three pairs of secondary veins, the quaternary veins on the abaxial surface consistently raised, and frequently cordate at the base (lost in M. campanensis), and large fruits (lost in M. pycnoneura; see also phylogenetic analyses). Miconia multiglandulosa could also belong here, as it also has prominent nodal lenticels and large fruits. Miconia foveolata is easily differentiated from all the members of the bullate-leaved clade because it has bright red, long-stalked, gland-headed hairs on the hypanthium (and stems), differently shaped external calyx teeth, erect petals, and filaments with reflexed anthers (see also key). It can easily be distinguished from M. howardiana, M. campanensis, M. xenotricha, M. favosa, and M. sintenisii because it lacks the more or less dendritic hairs characterizing these species (see also key). It is separated from M. pycnoneura (in addition to the diagnostic characters listed above) by the presence of long-stalked, gland-headed hairs on the adaxial leaf surface, consistent presence of reddish gland-headed hairs also on the inflorescence axes (vs. such hairs lacking, or occasionally present, but not red), free portion of hypanthium 1.4-1.9 mm long (vs. 0.9-1.2 mm), hypanthium with long-stalked, gland-headed hairs (vs. hypanthium with stellate to minute-globular hairs), external calyx teeth distally thickened, with the apex bluntly conical, and 0.8-1.4 mm long and 2.2-3.1 mm wide (vs. not flattened distally, with apex acute to acuminate, and 0.2-0.6 mm long and 1.2-1.6 mm wide), petals 3.8-4.3 mm long (vs. 2.6-3.3 mm), ovary 2.8-3.3 mm long (vs. 1.8-2.1 mm), and berries 8-11 mm long (vs. 5-7 mm). Miconia foveolata is, of course, geographically isolated from M. favosa, M. xenotricha, M. howardiana, and M. campanensis, which are endemic to Hispaniola, but it grows with M. sintenisii and M. pycnoneura, in the higher elevation forests of the Sierra de Luquillo. A putative hybrid with M. pycnoneura has been collected (D’Arcy 1850, FLAS, MO) from the Sierra de Luquillo, East Peak Reserve, and these specimens are intermediate in all features that differentiate the two species. My fieldwork in the Sierra de Luquillo did not lead to the discovery of any other hybrid individuals, so it is likely that hybrids are rare. In addition, no hybrids between M. foveolata and M. sintenisii have been collected. Factors leading to the reproductive isolation of M. foveolata from the sympatric M. pycnoneura and M. sintenisii are in need of investigation. The flowers of M. foveolata are quite different from those of these two species, especially because their petals are erect (not spreading) and perhaps M. foveolata is attracting a different group of pollinators. It is of interest that the leaf midvein of M. foveolata and that of M. pycnoneura are unique within the members of the group that have been surveyed for their variation in leaf anatomy, i.e., they have vascular tissues in an arc that is comprised of three major arcuate bundles. Although these two species are phylogenetically adjacent in some generated cladograms, they never form a clade. Their distinctive leaf anatomy suggests, however, that they could be sister taxa. Cogniaux (1886) listed three numbers, i.e., Sintenis 1335, 1335b, and 1335c, when the species was described (Cogniaux, 1886), but only one of these was cited, i.e., 1335, in his monograph (Cogniaux, 1891). The material at B has been destroyed and no specimens with the second two numbers have been located. The numbers "b" and "c" are interpreted to refer to duplicate specimens, and Sintenis 1335 is here considered to be the type. An illustration of Miconia foveolata can also be found in Little et al. (1974, no. 600). The English common name for this species is Puerto Rican johnnyberry, although the Spanish name, camasey, is often used.
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Floras and Monographs
Miconia foveolata Cogn.: [Manuscript] Britton, Nathaniel L. Flora Borinqueña.
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Narratives
