Conostegia cinnamomea (Beurl.) Wurdack

Kriebel, Ricardo, 2016, A Monograph of Conostegia (Melastomataceae, Miconieae), PhytoKeys 67, pp. 1-326 : 156-157

Conostegia cinnamomea (Beurl.) Wurdack Fig. 143

Conostegia cinnamomea (Beurl.) Wurdack, Phytologia 38: 287. 1978. Miconia cinnamomea Beurl., Svensk. Vet. Handl. 1854: 131. 1854. Type: Panama. Portobello, April 1826, J. Billberg 271 (holotype: S!). Oxymeris cinnamomea (Beurl.) Triana, Trans. Linn. Soc. Bot. 28: 94. 1872. Leandra cinnamomea (Beurl.) Cogn. Mart. Fl. Bras. 14(4): 77. 1886.

Conostegia micromeris Standl., Contr. Arnold Arb. 5: 117, pl. 15. 1933. Type: Panama. shore of cove west of Drayton House, Barro Colorado Island, Canal Zone, 6 February 1932, R. Woodworth and P. Vestal 602 (holotype: F!, isotypes: A!, LE, MO!).

Conostegia haughtii Gleason, Phytologia 2: 429. 1948. Type: Colombia. Antioquia: on Quebrada Isaias, east of Turbo, 5 July 1946, O. Haught 4939 (holotype: NY!, isotypes: F, K!, P[fide Almeda], S!, US!).

Description.

Shrubs to small tress 1.5-6 m tall with terete, sometimes slightly rectangular stems especially towards the apex which are moderately to densely covered on new growth with short dendritic hairs; the nodal line present yet slight. Leaves at a node equal to unequal in length. Petioles absent or to 1.3 cm long. Leaves 4.5-20.1 × 1.9-6.9 cm long, 5-plinerved, with the innermost pair of veins arising up to 4 cm above the blade base in opposite or more commonly strongly alternate fashion, elliptic, acute to cuneate, attenuate to acuminate, margin entire to crenate, glabrous adaxially, abaxially glabrous or with a few scattered stellate furfuraceous trichomes on the main veins. Inflorescence a terminal reflexed and pseudoaxillary panicle 2.6-7.6 cm long branching at the base, accessory branches absent, bracteoles lanceolate, to about 2 mm, persistent. Pedicel 0.5-1 mm. Flowers (4-)5 merous, calyptrate. Flower buds 2.3-4 × 1.1-1.5 mm, elliptic to slightly pyriform, rounded at the base, apiculate at the apex, calyx teeth present but minute and not discernable to the naked eye, the calycine and hypanthium differentiated with the calyptra tending to dry white, slightly to not constricted below the calyptra; the hypanthium 2-2.5 × 2-2.5 mm, glabrescent. Petals 3-4.25 × 1.75-2.5 mm, white, turning pink and closing with age, narrowly ovate, reflexed, glabrous, apically acute. Stamens (8-)10, 3.25-4.25 mm long, radially arranged around the style, the filament 1.75-2.25 mm, with a geniculation near the apex, white, anthers 1.5-2 × 0.5-0.75 mm, oblong, yellow, ventrally wrinkled, the pore 0.18-0.2 mm, dorsally inclined. Ovary 5 locular, inferior, apically glabrous and not forming a collar around the style base. Style 5.75-6.25 mm, straight to gently curving, vertical distance from the anther apex to the stigma 1.5-2 mm, horizontal distance absent, stigma punctiform, 0.35- 0.45 mm wide. Berry 4-5 × 4-5 mm, blue-black. Seeds 0.4-0.5(-0.8) mm, roughly pyramidal, the testa tuberculate.

Distribution

(Fig. 144 ). Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia and northern Venezuela, from sea level to 1450 m elevation.

Conostegia cinnamomea is easily recognized its glabrous appearance, evidently plinerved leaves, deflexed inflorescences and calyptrate calyx. Its bracteoles are also helpful when flowers are lacking because they are persistent and form a nodal collar around the inflorescence branches. The style of this species is exserted and one of the bees observed to visit its flowers, Melipona costaricensis , curls its abdomen over the style before buzzing the flowers (Fig. 143 ). This same behaviour was also observed by another small halictid bee in a species with similar floral morphology, Conostegia grayumii . It is possible most of the species in section Geniculatae are buzzed in a similar way since they have floral morphology very similar to the above mentioned taxa. The anther pore in this species is perhaps the most strongly dorsally inclined in any species of the genus.

Specimens examined.

NICARAGUA (fide Schnell). Zelaya: between Toro Bayo and Esquipulas, drainage of the rivers Jícaro and Esquipulas, Shank and Molina 4615 (GH).

COSTA RICA. Puntarenas: Golfito, P. N. Corcovado, Estación Sirena, Sendero Espaveles, Aguilar 4980 (INB, MO) . San José: Puriscal, La Cangreja, alrededores senderos de finca de Fundación Ecotrópica, Kriebel et al. 4283 (INB, NY); Puriscal, camino entre Puriscal y P. N. La Cangreja, Kriebel 5330 (INB, NY) .

PANAMA. Canal Zone: Barro Colorado Island, Barbour Lathrop Trail 250, Croat 6542 (MO, NY). Coclé: cloud forest on slopes of Cerro Pilon near El Valle, Duke 12170 (NY). Darién: between Paya and Palo de los Letras, Duke and Kirkbride 14022 (NY); Lower slopes of alturas de Nique along Río Coasi, Hartman 12257 (MO, NY); Mannene to the mouth of Rio Coasi , Kirkbride and Bristan 1560 (NY); 0-2 mi. E. of Tres Bocas along shortest headwater of Rio Coasi , Kirkbride and Duke 1201 (MO, NY) .

COLOMBIA. Magdalena: in forest along trail from Pueblito to Playa Brava, Parque Nacional Tayrona, Kirkbride 2585 (NY); Alto Río Frío Cabeceras del Río Congo, Ciudad Antigua, Madriñán and Barbosa 486 (NY).

VENEZUELA. Zulia: Dtto. Mara, cuenca del río Guasare, alrededores del Destacamento Guasare 1 (La Yolanda) en las laderas del cerro ca. 5 km al SSE del Destacamento entre el Caño Indio y la fila arriba de su orilla izquierda, Bunting et al. 12711 (NY); Distrito Mara, semi-evergreen riverine forest along dry creek bed of Caño Indio between Hacienda Caño Azul and base of Cerro Yolanda 15 km southwest of rancho 505 south of and tributary of Rio Guazare, Steyermark et al. 122652 (MO, NY).

Figures

Figure 143. Conostegia cinnamomea. A Leaf abaxial surface B Inflorescence C Close up of flower D Close up of flower being grasped and about to be buzzed by a Melipona bee E Detail of flower bud subtended by bracteoles F Longitudinal section of a flower bud with the calyptra ad style removed G Pickled flower with some petals removed H Longitudinal section of a pickled flower I Petal J Stamen K Close up of the stamens showing dorsally inclined pore L Close up of the stigma. Photos of specimen vouchered R. Kriebel 5330.

Figure 144. Distribution of Conostegia cinnamomea.