Conostegia jaliscana Standl.

Kriebel, Ricardo, 2016, A Monograph of Conostegia (Melastomataceae, Miconieae), PhytoKeys 67, pp. 1-326 : 72-74

Conostegia jaliscana Standl.

Conostegia jaliscana Standl., Field Mus. Publ. Bot. 4: 245. 1929. Type: Mexico. Jalisco: Streamside, Arroyo de los Hornos, Hacienda del Ototal, E of San Sebastian, Sierra Madre, 1500 m, 5 March 1927, Y. Mexía 1819 (holotype: F!, isotypes: A!, BM!, C, CAS!, GH!, LA, MICH, MO!, NY!, S!, TEX!, UC, US!).

Description.

Shrubs 2-4 m tall with young tetragonal stems which become terete with age that are glabrescent to finely and sparsely furfuraceous; the nodal line present. Leaves of a pair equal to unequal in length. Petioles 0.4-1.2 cm. Leaf blades 6 -17 × 2-6 cm, 3-5 plinerved, with the innermost pair of veins diverging from the mid vein 1-2 cm above the base, elliptic, the base acute, the apex acute to acuminate, adaxially glabrous or sparsely ciliate, abaxially pubescent with stellate trichomes on the veins, the margins serrulate and ciliate. Inflorescence a terminal panicle 3-7 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 apparently absent, branches flattened; bracteoles linear to ovate, 2 mm long, early deciduous and appearing absent. Pedicels 2-5 mm. Flowers (5-)6-7 merous, calyptrate. Floral buds 10-15 × 4-7.1 mm, slightly ovoid to elliptic, subacute or rounded at the base, acute to acuminate at the apex, slightly constricted below the middle, the calyptra and base weakly differentiated; hypanthium 4.5-5.5 × 5-6 mm, glabrescent with inconspicuous sessile stellate hairs. Petals ca. 7-8 × 5-6 mm, white, broadly spatulate, probably spreading, glabrous. Stamens 15-20, 7 mm long, the filaments 3-4 mm long, white, anthers 3.5-4 mm long, linear-subulate, recurved, yellow, the pore not observed, terminal. Ovary 6-7 locular, inferior, glabrous, and elevated into a collar around the style base. Style 4-6 mm, curving and not widening below the stigma, bent beneath the tip, apparently no vertical or horizontal distance between the anthers and the stigma; stigma subcapitate, ca 1 mm wide. Mature berries not seen.

Distribution

(Fig. 83 ). Endemic to Mexico where it occurs in the Sierra Madre in the states of Jalisco and Guerrero from 700-1600 m in elevation.

Conostegia jaliscana is a rare species reported usually from alongside streams. It has few-flowered inflorescences and relatively long and acute to acuminate floral buds. Schnell (1996) placed Conostegia jaliscana with the three Jamaican endemic in his section Conostegia but also hinted to the possibility of Conostegia jaliscana being closely related to species in his subgenus Lobatostigma . This latter hypothesis is the one supported in the molecular phylogeny.

Specimens examined.

MEXICO. Guerrero (fide Schnell): in Sierra Madre del Sur , 20 mi S of Chilpancingo on the Acapulco Highway, Smith M 73 (TEX) . Jalisco: ca. 27.8 mi sse of Puerto Vallarta on a new dirt road to silver mine, left hand turnoff hwy 200 toward Manzanillo, Almeda 2540 (CAS).

Figures

Figure 83. Distribution of Conostegia jaliscana.