Miconia smaragdina Naudin

  • Family

    Melastomataceae (Magnoliophyta)

  • Scientific Name

    Miconia smaragdina Naudin

  • 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: Colombia, Goudot s.n. (P!).

    Description: Shrub or small tree 2-5 m tall, the rounded-quadrate to quadrisulcate uppermost cauline internodes, vegetative buds, abaxial surfaces of very young leaf blades, inflorescence branches, bracteoles (abaxial surface), floral buds, and hypanthia moderately to densely covered with a brown bran-like indument. Leaves of a pair equal to somewhat unequal in size; blades 3-plinerved often with an additional inconspicuous intramarginal pair, the innermost pair of primary veins diverging from the midvein 0.5-1.5 cm above the blade base, the blade elliptic, 9-25 x 2.7-8.5 cm, the apex gradually blunt-acuminate, the base acute and somewhat decurrent on the petiole, the margin inconspicuously crenulate to subentire, the adaxial blade surface essentially glabrous, the abaxial surface essentially glabrous at maturity but sometimes with a scattered bran-like indument along the elevated primary and secondary veins; petioles 0.5-1.9 cm long. Inflorescence a multiflowered panicle 5.5-12 cm long, the flowers 5-merous on pedicels 0.25-1 mm long, the deciduous oblong to narrowly triangular or subulate bracteoles 0.25-0.5 x 0.1-0.2 mm. Hypanthium 10-ribbed (conspicuously so in fruit). Calyx fused into an erect flange 0.5 mm high, the minute lobes depressed-undulate and ultimately deciduous on fruiting hypanthia; the exterior calyx teeth broadly deltoid blunt callosities 0.1-0.2 mm long not projecting beyond the calyx lobes. Petals white, minutely granulose-papillose (especially on the adaxial surface), obovate, 2.7-3 x 2-2.5 mm. Anthers slightly unequal in size, pale yellow, oblong-subulate, the thecae alternately 2 and 2.5 mm long with a truncate to ventrally inclined apical pore; the connective thickened dorsally and prolonged ventro-basally into a bilobed appendage each lobe of which is ± appressed to the base of each anther sac. Style glabrous, 5-5.5 mm long; stigma capitate; ovary 3-locular, ½ inferior, the apex elevated into a glabrous collar 0.25 mm high that becomes rounded to ± truncate in fruit. Berry 4-5 x 5-7 mm when dry, reddish turning purple-black at maturity. Seeds bluntly triangular in outline, the testa dull and ± smooth, 1 mm long.

    Habitat and Distribution: Infrequent in evergreen montane forest, cloud forest, and rain forest. 850-1800 m. Mexico (Oaxaca and Veracruz), Colombia, Venezuela, and Ecuador. MEXICO: Chiapas (Méndez 8035, CAS); BELIZE (Davidse & Holland 36725, CAS); PANAMA (de Nevers et al. 8496, CAS); COSTA RICA (Almeda & Nakai 3959, CAS).

    Taxonomy and Systematics: The holotype is anomalous in having 3-whorled leaves at each node. All other collections examined from throughout the range of this species have paired leaves at each node and are otherwise identical in vegetative and reproductive characters.

    Notes: [Description based only on Mesoamerican specimens.]

  • Sorry, no descriptions available for this record.