Conostegia hirtella Cogn, 1891

Kriebel, Ricardo, 2016, A Monograph of Conostegia (Melastomataceae, Miconieae), PhytoKeys 67, pp. 1-326 : 65

Conostegia hirtella Cogn

Conostegia hirtella Cogn. in J. D. Smith, Bot. Gaz 16: 4. 1891. Type: Guatemala. Alta Verapaz: Pansamala, 1170 m, May 1887, H. von Tuerckheim 1233 (holotype: BR; isotypes: BR, GH, K!, NY!, P (fide Almeda in Schnell (1996)), PH!, US!).

Conostegia gleasoniana Standl. & Steyerm., Field Mus. Publ. Bot. 22: 361. 1940. Type: Guatemala. Alta Verapaz: Damp forest, region of Cocola, NE of Carcha,1200 m, 2 April 1938, P. Standley 70317 (F!).

Description.

Shrubs to small trees 1.8-10 m tall with tetragonal stems becoming terete with age and that are finely puberulent with minute sessile stellate and stipitate-stellate trichomes; the nodal line present but slight. Leaves of a pair equal to somewhat unequal in length. Petioles 0.8-3.2 cm long. Leaves 6.5-16.1 × 1.75-5.7 cm, 3-5 nerved or if plinerved, with the innermost pair of primary veins diverging from the mid vein up to 2 cm above the base in opposite to sub opposite fashion, adaxially glabrous, abaxially with stipitate stellate hairs mostly on the primary veins and with minute stellate trichomes on higher order veins, some specimens with evident pocket domatia at the base abaxially, narrowly ovate to narrowly elliptic, acute at the base and apex, the margins undulate-dentate to entire. Inflorescence terminal panicle 4.3-11.8 cm long branched above the base but sometimes appearing branched at the base because of multiple inflorescences arising at opposing meristems at the terminal node, accessory branches present, bracts and bracteoles 0.6-4 mm long, subulate to linear-lanceolate, deciduous. Pedicels 2-5 mm long. Flowers 5-6 merous, calyptrate. Flower bud ca. 4-6 × 2.5-3.5 mm, obovate, obtuse or rounded at base, acute to short-apiculate at the apex, not constricted, the hypanthium 2.5-3 × 2.5-3 mm, smooth. Petals ca. 5 × 4 mm, white or pink, spathulate, emarginate, glabrous. Stamens 13-17, 3-4 mm long, the filament ca. 1.5-2 mm, white, anthers 1.8-2.0 × 0.4-0.5 mm, linear-oblong, straight or slightly recurved, laterally compressed, thickened dorsally, yellow, the pore ca. 0.2 mm, terminal. Ovary 5-6 locular, inferior, apically glabrous and forming a collar around the style base. Style ca. 3 mm, straight distance between the anther and the stigma -0.5 - -0.1 mm; stigma punctiform, ca. 0.6 mm wide wide. Berry ca. 5 × 5 mm, dark purple. Seeds 0.4-0.6 mm long, obovoid, angulate or not, essentially smooth but frequently with the periclinal walls elevated to give a roughened look.

Distribution

(Fig. 80 ). Known from Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua, 700-1700 m.

Conostegia hirtella is quite similar to Conostegia montana , a very variable species. It is recognized here on the basis of the presence of stipitate stellate hairs which Conostegia montana lacks. Schnell (1996) considered Conostegia hirtella to be close to Conostegia caelestis on the basis of those stipitate stellate trichomes. The much sparser pubescence in Conostegia hirtella compared to the dense indument in all the plant in Conostegia caelestis makes it diffcult to confuse them. Unfortunately Conostegia hirtella was not included in the molecular phylogeny to further help elucidate its close relatives.

Specimens examined.

GUATEMALA. Alta Verapaz: Bosque mixto de Chamal, margenes del Río Cobán, Molina 12142 (NY); Mountains east of Tactic on road to Tamahú, Standley 71305 (NY); Wet forest near Tactic, above the bridge across Río Frío, Standley 90285 (NY).

HONDURAS. Comayagua: Bosque nuboso de Cordillera de Misoco o Volcán de Guaimaca entre los Departamentos de Olancho y Morazán, Molina 3189 (NY); Bosque Pino-Liquidambar de Montana , la Choca, Cordillera Comayagua, cerca de Coyocutena, Molina 7120 (NY). Morazán: Bosque de nubes del Volcan de Guaimaca , Cordillera de Misoco , Molina 6094 (NY) .

NICARAGUA. Estelí: Dept. of Estelí on the border with Madriz, Cerro Pataste, Neill 121 (NY); on border with Madriz, Cerro Pataste, Neill 128 (NY) . Matagalpa: Cut over cloud forest area El Porvenir, Cordillera Central de Nicaragua, Molina 20522 (MO, NY); Cut over cloud forest of El Picacho east of Sant María de Ostuma, Cordillera Dariense, Molina and Molina 30522 (NY); Cut over cloud forest area road to Aranjuez, Cordillera Central de Nicaragua , Williams 20143 (NY); road to La Fundadora, cloud forest area north of Sta. Maria de Ostuma , Cordillera Central de Nicaragua , Williams 24858, 24926 (MO, NY) .

Figures

Figure 80. Distribution of Conostegia hirtella.