Miconia phrynosomaderma 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 : 61-62

15. Miconia phrynosomaderma Majure & Judd, J. Bot. Res. Inst. Texas. 7: 269. 2013. Fig. 24

Type.

HAITI. Dept. du Nord. Massif du Nord, Marmelade, Morne Belle-Terre, 1050 m, fl, fr, 22 May 1927, E L. Ekman H 8204 (holotype: S! [S12-26615]; isotypes: GH!, IJ!, US! [ US 00775483], EHH n.v.) .

Description.

Evergreen shrub (height unknown); stems round in cross section, not ridged, the internodes 1-3.2 cm long; stem indumentum of bulla-based hairs 0.4-1.2 mm long, these mixed with some hairs having strongly dilated bases and others only narrowly dilated at the base, the hairs apressed-retrorse along stem or slightly spreading with apices recurved; nodal line present, made up of triangular bulla-based hairs to 2 mm long. Leaves broadly elliptic, 2.4-4.3 × 2-3 cm, often slightly anisophyllous, purplish when young; base rounded to acute; apex broadly acute; venation acrodromous, 5-veined, i.e., with midvein and 2 pairs of arching secondary veins, the innermost pair of secondary veins, mostly symmetrical to subsymmetrical at union with midvein 1.5-5 mm above the leaf base, positioned 2.5-5.5 mm in from margin at widest point of blade, the tertiary veins more or less perpendicular to midvein, 2.4-3.5 mm apart at mid-leaf, tertiary veins sometimes joined by quaternary veins; adaxial surface covered in bulla-based hairs, these not meeting at the base, thus the lamina visible between the hairs, i.e., lamina areoles are not completely filled, widest hair bases to 1.8 mm wide, apices of bulla-based hairs mostly erect to slightly spreading, the young leaf adaxial surface with ephemeral, long-stemmed, clavate-dentritic hairs, these sometimes flattened at the apex, arising from between the bases of bulla-based hairs along the primary and secondary veins toward the base of the leaf, and with subsessile to short stalked glandular hairs along the lamina between bulla-based hairs; abaxial leaf surface covered with bulla-based hairs, although the lamina clearly visible, also with bulla-based hairs covering the primary, secondary, tertiary, and quaternary veins, the lamina covered in sessile glands, also with depressions formed from the bulla-based hairs on the adaxial leaf surface; petiole 0.4-1.2 cm long, covered in bulla-based hairs, these spreading to retrorse and recurved on adaxial surface and mostly appressed-retrorse on abaxial surface. Inflorescences terminal, well-developed to reduced cymes of 3-15 flowers, 1.7-3.9 cm long, 2.2-5.1 cm across, the peduncle 0.1-0.7 cm long, the proximal branches 0.7-1.7 cm long, and pedicels 0.6-1 cm long; bracts narrowly ovate, 2-3 mm long; bracteoles narrowly ovate, 2-2.2 × ca. 0.2 mm, occasionally with bulla-based hairs at base; nodes of inflorescence with mixed bulla-based hairs and long-stemmed, dentritic-clavate hairs, similar to those found at the base of young leaves. Flowers 4-merous; hypanthium 3.1-4 mm long, 5-5.2 mm wide, more or less spherical, slightly 4-lobed, although lobing mostly obscured by bulla-based hairs 0.9-2.5 mm long, the free portion of hypanthium 0.3 mm long, slightly constricted below the torus, both abaxial surface and base of bulla-based hairs with dark, sessile glands, adaxial surface with sessile-glandular hairs; calyx teeth 2.2-3.3 × 0.4-0.7 mm, linear and terete, recurved upon maturation, covered in long, bulla-based hairs; calyx lobes 4 more or less triangular, 1.3 × 1.6 mm, apex acute, with sessile glands near the apex adaxially and bulla-based hairs abaxially; calyx tube 0.4 mm long; petals 4, white, but purplish on the abaxial surface, ovate, 5.1-5.2 × ca. 3 mm, the apex acuminate, margins membranous and entire, clawed at base, with two bulla-based hairs at the apex on the abaxial surface, these 2-3 mm long; stamens 8, the filaments 1.7-1.9 mm long, the anthers 1.4-1.5 mm long, with dorso-basal appendage and a single, dorsally inclined pore, the thecae 1.1 mm long. Style ca. 4.3 mm long, dilated at the center, with punctate stigma, subtended by a crown of long, multicelular hairs, these slightly longer than the surrounding bulla-based hairs on the apex of the ovary; ovary ca. 3.2 × 4.8 mm, apex flat to convex, pubescent with bulla-based hairs. Berries globose, ca. 5 mm long, ca. 6.5 mm wide, blue-black (to purple-black?) at maturity. Seeds (immature) ca. 0.9 mm long, sickle-shaped.

Phenology.

This species was collected in flower and fruit in May.

Distribution

(Fig. 23 ). Miconia phrynosomaderma is only known from the Massif du Nord, at Morne Belle Terre, Departement du Artibonite, Haiti.

Ecology.

This species occurs on metamorphic rock at 1050 m elevation, but no information regarding plant community is available.

Conservation status.

Miconia phrynosomaderma is likely endangered due to the intense pressure from habitat destruction, as a result of current subsistence farming practices and charcoal production in the Massif du Norde, Haiti. However, there is insufficient data to determine actual conservation status of the species. Thus we categorize the species as data deficient.

Discussion.

Miconia phrynosomaderma is most likely most closely related to Miconia limoides and shares the descending stem hairs with upwardly recurved apices, as well as leaf shape (broadly elliptical; Figs 18 , 26D ). However, the two species differ in ad- and abaxial leaf surface indumentum, as well as petal base (clawed in Miconia phrynosomaderma vs. non-clawed in Miconia limoides ), calyx teeth length (2.2-3.3 vs. 1.5-2.1 in Miconia limoides ) and the presence of a dorso-basal anther appendage in Miconia phrynosomaderma (to 0.3 mm long vs. only to 0.1 mm long in Miconia limoides ; Majure and Judd 2013a).

Specimens examined.

Miconia phrynosomaderma is only known from the type specimen.

Figures

Figure 18. Miconia lima. A habit (Ekman H 1635) B flower (Judd 6587) C petal side view (Clase 935) D petal adaxial surface (Judd 6587) E stamen (Howard 12300) F fruit longitudinal section (Judd 5172) G fruit (Holdridge 1404) H seed (Judd 5172).

Figure 23. Distribution of Miconia phyrnosomaderma (open star), Miconia limoides (open circles), and Miconia paralimoides (closed circles).

Figure 24. Illustration of Miconia phrynosomaderma. A habit of Miconia phrynosomaderma with the bulla-based hairs removed from the adaxial leaf surface to show venation B leaf adaxial surface C close-up of adaxial leaf surface showing expanded bulla-based hairs not fully covering the entire lamina D leaf abaxial surface E close-up of abaxial leaf surface showing sparse bulla-based hairs and clearly visible lamina F longitudinal section (slightly oblique) of young fruit G petal abaxial surface H petal adaxial surface I stamen showing anther with short dorso-basal appendage J immature seed (all drawn from Ekman H 8204). Reproduced with permission from Majure and Judd (2013 a).

Figure 26. Illustration of Miconia paralimoides. A habit (Veloz 4059) B close-up of upper leaf surface (Garcia 1186) C close-up of lower leaf surface (Garcia 1186) D flower Veloz 4059) E petal abaxial surface (Veloz 4059) F petal adaxial surface (Veloz 4059) G stamen (Veloz 4059) H fruit longitudinal section (F. Jimenez 176 - A). Reproduced with permission from Majure and Judd (2013 b).