Conostegia cuatrecasii Gleason, 1945

Kriebel, Ricardo, 2016, A Monograph of Conostegia (Melastomataceae, Miconieae), PhytoKeys 67, pp. 1-326 : 60-64

Conostegia cuatrecasii Gleason Fig. 76

Conostegia cuatrecasii Gleason, Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 72: 473. 1945. Type: Colombia. Depto. del Valle: Silva, Río Cajambre, Costa del Pacífico, 5-80 m, 5-15 May 1944, J. Cuatrecasas 17612 (holotype: NY!, isotype: F!).

Description.

Shrubs to small trees 2-12 m tall with strongly tetragonal stems that are glabrous or with scattered sessile stellate trichomes; the nodal line inconspicuous or evident as a whitish line, not elevated. Leaves of a pair equal to somewhat unequal in length. Petioles 0.9-6 cm. Leaf blades 11-25.7 × 5-12.9 cm, 3-5 plinerved, with the innermost pair of vein arising just above the base in opposite or sub alternate fashion, elliptic to ovate, base acute to rounded, apex acuminate, margin entire to denticulate, glabrous on both surfaces. Inflorescence a terminal panicle 6-25 cm long branched above the base base but sometimes appearing branched at the base because of multiple inflorescences arising at opposing meristems at the terminal node, accessory branches absent or present, the bracts absent or early deciduous, bracteoles to 6 mm long, subulate, usually persistent at anthesis and deciduous in fruit. Pedicel 5-8 mm, lengthening in fruit. Flowers 6-8 merous, calyptrate. Floral buds 6-11 × 3-7 mm, slightly constricted at the torus, the base flat, the apex acuminate; the hypanthium 5-6 × 5-5.5 mm. Petals 7-12 × 7-11.5 mm, pink to lilac or white, obovate, spreading, apically emarginate, glabrous, spreading, the margin entire to undulate. Stamens 12-15(-17), 9-10 mm long, slightly zygomorphic, the filament 5-5.5 mm, white, anthers 4-4.5 × 0.8-1.2 mm, linear-oblong and recurved, somewhat laterally compressed, sagittate at the base, yellow, the pore 0.12-0.13 mm, slightly ventrally inclined. Ovary (6-)7-9(-11) locular, inferior, the apex glabrous and elevated into a pronounced collar around the style base. Style 4-6.7 mm, bent upward below the stigma, distance between the anther and the stigma -2 - -0.5 mm, stigma broadly capitate, 0.3-0.5 mm wide. Berry 8-9 × 8-9 mm, purple-black. Seeds ca. 0.4 mm long, triangular in profile view, smooth.

Distribution

(Fig. 77 ). Ranging from Panama to Colombia, Venezuela and Ecuador, and the coastal range of Venezuela, 0-1000 m in elevation.

This species is particularly distinctive when found in the field with its large lavender flowers. Herbarium specimens with flower buds on the other hand can be hard to separate from some populations of Conostegia superba . In general both can be separated on the basis of the larger flowers with usually lavender petals and more floral parts in Conostegia cuatrecasii (versus smaller flowers with white petals in Conostegia superba ). Also, Conostegia cuatrecasii tend to have a more markedly acute calyptra apex than Conostegia superba . Schnell (1996) further separated the two stating that the stigma in Conostegia cuatrecasii was lobed but I did not observe lobes in a specimen collected in spirit in Cerro Jefe, Panama. Also, Schnell (1996) stated the floral buds in Conostegia superba are clearly constricted but I did not observe constriction in the floral buds of Conostegia superba in Izabal, Guatemala. Good fragrance has been reported in the flowers of this species (Kriebel and Burke 5681 - NY).

Specimens examined.

PANAMA. Panamá: P. N. Chagres, sendero hacia Cerro Jefe, Kriebel and Burke 5681 (NY, PMA).

COLOMBIA. Antioquia: Rio Chigorodo, Forest on Quebrada Congo 11 km east of Chigorodo 40 km south of Turbo , Haught 4713 (NY); In damp forest on ridge west of Quebrada Mercedes east of Turbo , Haught 4973 (NY) . Chocó: Río San Juan margen derecha, Quebrada del Taparal, Cuatrecasas 21468 (NY); Banks of Quebrada Togoroma , Killip and Cuatrecasas 39089 (NY); Rio Mutata tributary of Río El Valle between base of Alto de Buey and mouth of river, Gentry and Fallen 17283 (MO, NY) . El Valle: Cordillera Occidental, vertiente occidental, hoya del río Anchicayá ado derecho bosques entre Pavas y Miramar, Cuatrecasas 14386 (NY); Cordillera Occidental, vertiente occidental, Hoya del Río Digua lado izquierdo, Piedra de Moler , Cuatrecasas 15142 (NY); Costa del Pacifico , rio Cajambre , Barco, Cuatrecasas 17001 (NY); Costa del Pacifico , rio Cajambre , Quebrada de Ordonez , Cuatrecasas 17273 (NY); Rio Digua Valley between La Elsa and Río Blanco, Killip 34712 (NY) .

ECUADOR. Bolívar: Trip to Bucay 87 km e. of Eloy Alfaro in walk of 5 km up trail n.e. in foothills along pipeline to intake of Guayaquil water supply, Little 6736 (NY) . Esmeraldas: Quininde Cantón, Bilsa Biological Station, Mache mountains 35 km W of Quinindé 5 km W of Santa Isabel, Clark and Troya 680 (NY); Carretera Lita-Alto Tambo-La Punta, Gudiño and Moran 1286 (MO, NY); Rio San Miguel one hour upstream from San Miguel de Cayapas , Holm-Nielsen et al. 25494 (MO, NY); Rio Onzole on estero Chontaduro, Játiva and Epling 1103 (NY); near Borbon, Játiva and Epling 2203 (NY) . Los Rios: Hacienda Clementina, Samama, Harling 284 (NY); Hacienda Clementina, Cerro Samama, Cornejo and Yoza 8188 (NY) . Imbabura: Lita, Palacios 12231 (NY) . Manabí: Pedernales, Reserva Ecológica Mache-Chindul, Comunidad Ambache ( vía marginal de la costa-Chindul), Clark et al. 4229 (MO, NY) . Pichincha: Distrito Metropolitano de Quito, carretera Mashpi-Los Bancos , Ulloa et al. 1935 (MO, NY) .

VENEZUELA (fide Schnell). Carabobo: Mpio. Autónomo Mora, cuenca del río Moron, Díaz 153 (US).

Figures

Figure 76. Conostegia cuatrecasii. A Leaf abaxial surface B Frontal view of flower at anthesis C Inflorescence with side view of flower at anthesis D Infructescence E Pickled flower at anthesis F Petal G Stamen H Longitudinal section of flower at anthesis with petals removed. Photos of specimen vouchered R. Kriebel and Burke 5673.

Figure 77. Distribution of Conostegia cuatrecasii.