Miconia fuertesii Cogn.

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: DOMINICAN REPUBLIC. Prov. Azua: Monte Culo de Maco, 1650 m alt., fl, 3 Aug 1912, M. Fuertes 1905 (holotype: B, destroyed; lectotype, here designated: NY!).

Description: Shrub or small tree to ca 4 m tall. Indumentum of multicellular, ferrugineous, bent-branched hairs, forming a dense tangled layer over epidermis. Young twigs not ridged, ± rectangular in cross-section, 2-5 mm wide, becoming terete with age, the indumentum of dense, multicellular, ferrugineous, bent-branched hairs, some elongated; internodes 0.8-3.5 (-5.5) cm long. Leaves with petiole 0.5-2 cm long, the indumentum dense, ferrugineous, branched hairs, forming a dense, tangled layer; blade 5-14 cm long, 0.9-2.4 cm wide, narrowly oblong or elliptic, to narrowly and slightly ovate or obovate, ± flat (to slightly V-shaped), coriaceous, the apex acuminate, the base narrowly cuneate or acute to obtuse, the margin plane to revolute, entire to obscurely serrulate or undulate near apex, proximal 80-100% of margin entire, the largest teeth 0-0.1 mm long, and teeth often obscured because of revolute condition; venation acrodromous, basal to slightly suprabasal, with prominent midvein and 2 secondary veins, the secondary veins placed 0.7-2.5 mm in from margin, and numerous percurrent tertiary veins oriented subperpendicular to midvein, these either joined by percurrent-orthogonal quaternary veins or separated by composite inter-tertiary veins (especially near midvein), the higher order veins orthogonal-reticulate; adaxial surface green, the indumentum initially moderately covered with ferrugineous bent-branched hairs, but very quickly glabrescent, the midvein and secondary veins impressed, higher order veins slightly impressed to flat, the surface appearing minutely papillose-wrinkled after drying due to presence of moderate to dense druse crystals; abaxial surface pale ferrugineous (and darker ferrugineous along veins), densely covered with ferrugineous, bent-branched hairs, these forming a thick, dense, tangled layer over epidermis (and thus individual hairs are not discernable), the midvein and secondary veins prominently raised, tertiary, inter-tertiary, and some quaternary veins slightly raised, higher order veins ± flat. Inflorescences many-flowered, pyramidal cymes of 4 to 8 branch-pairs, 3-9 cm long, 2-5 cm across; proximal segment of lowermost inflorescence branches 3-18 mm long, distal internodes of inflorescence branches increasingly shorter, ultimate branches 0.2-1.5 mm long, and flowers appearing in several- to many-flowered glomerules, with dense, ferrugineous, tangled branched hairs; peduncle 1-2.3 cm, with similar indumentum; each inflorescence branch associated with early caducous, broadly triangular to narrowly ovate or obovate bract, 2-7 mm long, 1-3 mm wide, the apices acute; flowers in dichasia, each subtended by 2 caducous, ± narrowly triangular bracteoles, 1.5-2 mm long, 0.3-1 mm wide, the indumentum of dense to moderate, ferrugineous, branched hairs, their apices acute. Flowers sessile or nearly so, the pedicel 0-0.5 mm long. Hypanthium cylindrical, free portion 1.1-1.3 mm long, the outer surface with dense, ferrugineous, tangled, branched hairs, the inner surface glabrous and slightly ridged, the apices of the ridges not or only very slightly projecting, to ca 0.05 mm. External calyx lobes 5, 0.4-1.2 mm long, 1-1.4 mm wide, triangular to narrowly triangular, with acute to slightly acuminate apex, indumentum of dense, ferrugineous, tangled, branched hairs; internal calyx lobes 5, 0.4-0.7 mm long, 1-1.4 mm wide, triangular, green, ± glabrous, the apex rounded to obtuse, the margin entire to slightly undulate near apex, sometimes with a few marginal hairs; calyx tube 0.1-0.3 mm long. Petals 5, 1.9-2.5 mm long, 1.4-1.8 mm wide, broadly elliptic to ovate, glabrous, white; margin entire. Stamens 10, geniculate; proximal segment 1.3-1.9 mm long; distal segment 2.1-2.6 mm, with minute to conspicuous (and ca 0.15 mm long) dorsal projection, the anther 1.3-1.9 mm long, with fertile portion of anther sacs 1-1.5 mm long, the sterile basal portion of anther sacs ± truncate, the connective/distal part of filament extended 0.7-1 mm beyond the base of the anther sacs. Ovary 3-loculate, ca 1/2-inferior, 1.6-1.9 mm long, 1.6-2 mm in diameter, ovoid, glabrous and clearly 10-ridged, with fluted apical projection to ca 0.5-0.6 mm encircling the base of style; style 2.9-4 mm long, glabrous; stigma truncate. Berries not seen; seeds not seen, but probably angular obovoid (based on ovule shape). Fig. 44.

Habitat and Distribution: Hispaniola (Haiti and the Dominican Republic), Massif du Nord/Cordillera Central; cloud forests and thickets; 1300-1995 m. Associated melastomes include Mecranium integrifolium (Naudin) Triana subsp. neibense (Skean) Skean, and Miconia basilensis, M. krugii, and M. septentrionalis.

Phenology: Known from flowering specimens collected in June through November.

Taxonomy and Systematics: Miconia fuertesii, a member of the crisped-hair clade (see discussion under M. lanceolata and M. albiviridis), is likely most closely related to M. albiviridis and M. luteola. Its similarity to M. luteola was noted when Cogniaux (1913) described the species. The characters differentiating it from M. albiviridis are outlined under that species. Miconia fuertesii is distinguished from M. luteola by its wider leaves, i.e., 0.9-2.4 cm wide (vs. 0.25-1.8 cm), with acuminate (vs. acute) apices (see also key). Although both occur in the Cordillera Central, they are not sympatric, and are thus reproductively isolated. No autapomorphies are evident for M. fuertesii, and the species may be metaphyletic.

Map Distribution

View all records of Miconia fuertesii Cogn.

Objects

Images

v-249-01116860.jpg (image/jpeg)

v-249-01116886.jpg (image/jpeg)

v-249-01116885.jpg (image/jpeg)

00658676.jpg (image/jpeg)

Miconia fuertesii: Botanical line drawing. (image/jpeg)