Miconia macrocarpa subsp. tuerckheimii (Cogn.) Judd & Ionta

Description

Description Author and Date: Walter S. Judd and Gretchen M. Ionta, based on Taxonomic studies in the Miconieae (Melastomataceae). X. Revision of the species of the Miconia crotonifolia complex. Judd, W.S. & Ionta G.M., Brittonia. 65 (1): 91. 2013.

Type: Dominican Republic. [Prov. La Vega]: near Constanza, in Valle Nuevo, 2200 m, fl, H. von Tuerckheim 3148 (B (destroyed)). Neotype: DOMINICAN REPUBLIC. Prov. La Vega: 37 km N of San José de Ocoa, on rd between San José de Ocoa and Valle Nuevo, 1800 m, 15 May 1986 (fl, fr), W. S. Judd 5102 (F, FLAS, GH, JBSD, MO, S, US).

Description: Shrub to 1 m tall. Leaves with petiole 5–25 mm long, with sparse to dense globularstellate hairs, these sometimes deciduous, occasionally also with a few simple, elongate eglandular hairs; blade (2–)3–8.5 cm long× 1.7–5.1 cm wide, the apex acute or obtuse to acuminate, the base rounded to conspicuously cordate, the margin entire to obscurely undulate distally, but distal 20–30 % of margin shallowly crenate; teeth obscure, represented merely by shallow crenations, not associated with apical hairs; venation acrodromous, basal, with prominent midvein and 4 or 6 secondary veins, of these 2 or 4 conspicuous and 2 or none inconspicuous, when 6 secondary veins present, the innermost pair positioned 6.5–10.5 mm and the middle pair 2–3.5 mm from margin, and when 4 secondary veins present, the innermost pair positioned 2–10.5 mm from margin, and in either case the 2 usually inconspicuous, outermost, secondary veins 0.5–3 mm from margin, numerous percurrent tertiary veins 2–4 mm apart; adaxial surface initially with moderate to dense, globular- stellate hairs, the midvein slightly to moderately impressed, the major secondary veins slightly to moderately impressed; abaxial surface with dense ferrugineous to orangeferrugineous, globular-stellate hairs, but these often darker on veins, to 0.2–0.3 mm in diameter, with arms elongate, crisped, and intertwined, forming a persistent and dense mat over the areole-lamina, and usually also persistent on the quaternary veins, or at least along their margins, and the surface of the mat uneven, consisting of obviously intertwined, crisped arms , i.e., not having a smooth, woven, mat-like appearance, in contrast, the globularstellate hairs of the midvein and major secondary veins, and usually also the tertiary veins, quickly deciduous, similar in form to those on the lamina, the major secondary veins moderately to strongly raised, tertiary veins slightly raised, higher order veins very slightly raised (but appearing flat due to dense indumentum on adjacent areoles). Inflorescences with branches initially with sparse to dense globular-stellate hairs, sometimes also with a few simple, elongate, eglandular hairs. Hypanthium with outer surface with moderate to dense, globularstellate hairs. Calyx teeth with indumentum of dense, globular-stellate hairs; calyx lobes with the outer surface with moderate to dense,

Habitat and Distribution: Hispaniola (Dominican Republic and Haiti), Cordillera Central and Massif de la Selle/Sierra de Baoruco; cloud forests, open rocky areas, moist to open forests of Pinus occidentalis; 1040–2000(–2200) m.

Phenology: Flowering material collected from January through June, also in October.

Taxonomy and Systematics: Miconia macrocarpa subsp. tuerckheimii is best differentiated from subsp. macrocarpa by the indumentum of the abaxial leaf surface, i.e., with dense ferrugineous to orange-ferrugineous, globular-stellate hairs, the arms tangled and intertwined, forming a dense, uneven mat in which the structure of the individual hairs is apparent. The mat does not appear smooth and woven as in subsp. macrocarpa (see also key). This subspecies usually occurs at lower elevations than subsp. macrocarpa; apparently the two only rarely co-occur, but note Garcia et al. 5301 and 5309, both from the Sierra de Baoruco, near Aguacate, and Liogier 18369 and 19760, both from Loma del Pavo, which represent subsp. tuerckheimii and subsp. macrocarpa, respectively. Specimen data would seem to indicate that they also grow together in the Valle Nuevo region (i.e., Tuerckheim 3148 and 3146) but the first author’s fieldwork in this region suggests that they do not co-occur, but instead are ecologically differentiated.

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