Miconia tentaculicapitata Majure & Judd, J. Bot. Res. Inst. Texas. 7: 269. 2013.

Majure, Lucas C., Becquer, Eldis R. & Judd, Walter S., 2016, Revision of the Lima clade (Miconia sect. Lima, Miconieae, Melastomataceae) of the Greater Antilles, PhytoKeys 72, pp. 1-99 : 23-26

4. Miconia tentaculicapitata Majure & Judd, J. Bot. Res. Inst. Texas. 7: 269. 2013. Fig. 6B-F

Ossaea capitata Urb., Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. 22: 237. 1926. Type: CUBA. Arroyo del Cristo (tributary of Yara), Sierra Maestra, south of Nagua, 7 Aug 1922, E L. Ekman 14748 (lectotype: S! [S05-3771], designated here; isolectotypes: G! [G00353943], NY! [NY00099635, NY00099636]).

Type.

Based on Ossaea capitata Urb.

Description.

Evergreen shrub, height unknown; stems round in cross section, not ridged, the internodes 0.7-5.3 cm long, stem indumentum of ascending, bulla-based hairs to 0.9 mm long; nodal line present. Leaves opposite, decussate, elliptic, 2.2-7.3 × 1-3.1 cm, slightly anisophyllous, apex acute or rounded, base acute to rounded, margins dentate, but dentations obscured by large bulla-based hair, venation acrodromous, 5-veined, the midvein and 2 pairs of arching secondary veins, secondary veins basal to suprabasal, the innermost pair suprabasal, produced 1.5-6 mm from leaf base, positioned 1.9-5 mm in from margin at widest point of blade, tertiary veins percurrent, more or less perpendicular to midvein, 1.1-3.5 mm apart at midleaf, intertertiary veins present, tertiary veins often joined by quaternary veins; adaxial leaf surface covered in well-developed bulla-based hairs, these dense, meeting at their bases and covering the leaf areoles, widest hair bases to 1.5 mm, apices of bulla-based hairs mostly recurved towards the leaf apex or margin, young leaf adaxial surface producing occasional long-stemmed, clavate-dentritic hairs along the primary an secondary veins, sessile, glandular hairs produced along the primary, secondary, tertiary, and quaternary veins between the bulla-based hairs; abaxial leaf surface covered in bulla-based hairs, these erect, spreading or ascending, those along the primary, secondary, and tertiary veins larger than hairs produced throughout the lamina, the lamina clearly visible, appearing as a series of pits from depressions of the bulla-based hairs produced from the upper leaf surface, sessile, glandular hairs produced throughout the lamina and along veins; petioles 0.4-1.5 cm long, covered in ascending, bulla-based hairs on both surfaces. Inflorescences terminal, 3-5 flowered, flowers produced in glomerulate clusters, 0.8-1.4 × 1.5-2.5 cm, the peduncle absent or to 0.4 cm long, proximal inflorescence branches absent, pedicels absent; bracts oblong or elliptic, 4.2-11 mm long; bracteoles ovate, rotund to broadly elliptic, 3-4 × 4.3-6.5 mm, covered in bulla-based hairs abaxially. Flowers 6-7-merous, sessile; hypanthium 4-5 mm long, short-oblong to globose, unlobed, slightly constricted below the torus, free portion of the hypanthium 0.8-1.5 mm long, abaxial surface covered in bulla-based hairs from 2.7-4 mm long, and occasional, sessile, glandular hairs near the bases of the bulla-based hairs; adaxial surface (i.e., free portion) covered in bulla-based hairs; calyx teeth 6-7, 5-8 × 0.5-0.8 mm, spreading to recurved, covered in bulla-based hairs; calyx lobes more or less triangular, apex acute, 2.2-2.7 × 0.9-1 mm, covered in bulla-based hairs abaxially and long, filiform hairs adaxially; calyx tube not tearing, 0.2-1.4 mm long with bulla-based hairs abaxially and long, filiform hairs adaxially; petals 6-7, color unknown, oblong to obovate, 5.7-6.7 × 2.6-2.7 mm, with an acuminate apex and membranous margin, without bulla-based hairs produced abaxially; stamens 8; filaments 3.2-4 mm long, glabrous, anthers 2.1-2.8 mm long, with one apical to ventrally oriented pore, anther thecae 2.3-2.6 mm long, anthers without a dorso-basal appendage; style 6.2-6.6 mm long, glabrous, not dilated in the middle, collar absent, style subtended by a crown of multicellular, linear to elongate-triangular (needle-like) hairs, which are slightly longer than the surrounding bulla-based hairs of the ovary apex, stigma punctate; ovary 4-4.9 × 3.5-4.5 mm, apex convex, glabrous, except for the linear or elongate-triangular hairs forming crown, placentation axile with shallowly intruded placenta, 3-locular; berries globose, purple at maturity, 6-7 mm long (including calyx tube), 5-6 mm wide, seeds 0.7-0.8 mm long, obpyramidal, testa smooth, light brown, raphe black, smooth, extending the length of the seed.

Phenology.

Specimens flowering, with immature and mature fruit have been collected in July and August.

Distribution

(Fig. 4 ). Miconia tentaculicapitata is restricted to the Sierra Maestra of Cuba. It has been collected primarily in two localities, surrounding the Yara River (along Arroyo el Cristo) in the Granma province and from Loma del Gato in the Santiago de Cuba province.

Ecology.

Very little information is available regarding the ecology of Miconia tentaculicapitata , but collections of Ekman (14748, 14823) were both from along streams ("on rocks along the river"), so this species likely inhabits moist, rocky outcrops in riparian habitats.

Conservation status.

Insufficient data are available for a critical evaluation of the conservation status of Miconia tentaculicapitata , thus we suggest a designation of data deficient (DD) according to IUCN (2012) criteria. However, the areas of the Sierra Maestra from where the type collection was made (Ekman 14748) are contained within Turquino National Park, and the species also is found with the Reserva Ecológica (RE) Loma del Gato-Monte Líbano. Therefore, this species is likely protected from habitat loss and any major anthropogenic disturbance.

Discussion.

Miconia tentaculicapitata is most likely closely related to Miconia jashaferi , Miconia hirtistyla , Miconia cubacinerea , as the four species share several morphological characters (e.g., foliaceous bracts and bracteoles, long, filiform hairs on the adaxial calyx tube surface, and 3 locular ovaries). The specimens Linden 2102 (BR, K, P), which are the basis for Miconia lima in Cuba (Alain 1957), were misidentified and actually are Miconia tentaculicapitata . However, one of the two specimens of Linden 2102 at BR (13239718) actually contains a fragment of a leaf of Miconia lima in the packet, most likely a contaminant from a specimen of Miconia lima during specimen preparation or investigation.

Specimens examined.

CUBA. Prov. Granma: Sierra Maestra, Arroyo el Cristo, one of the tributaries of Rio Yara , on rock along the river, 10 Aug 1922, Ekman 14823 (S, US) . Prov. Santiago de Cuba: Loma, San Juan, 1 Jul 1925, Hioram 7218 (HAC, IJ, NY); Loma del Gato, Cobre Range of Sierra Maestra , 1 Aug 1924, León LS-12331 (HAC, NY); Nimanima, 1843-1844, Linden 2102 (BR, K, P) . Prov. Granma / Santiago de Cuba. Sierra Maestra (Oriente), 10 Oct 1922, Ekman s.n. (HAJB) .

Figures

Figure 4. Distribution map of Miconia hirtistyla (closed circles), Miconia jashaferi (closed stars), Miconia cubacinerea (open circle), and Miconia tentaculicapitata (open stars).

Figure 6. Illustration of Miconia cubacinerea (A) and Miconia tentaculicapitata (B-F). A Habit of Miconia cubacinerea from the type specimen (Wright 2483) B habit of Miconia tentaculicapitata (Ekman 14823) C petal (Hioram 7218) D stamen (Hioram 7218) E fruit longitudinal section (Hioram 7218), and F seed (Leon LS- 12337).