Conostegia schlimii (Triana) Kriebel, 2016

Kriebel, Ricardo, 2016, A Monograph of Conostegia (Melastomataceae, Miconieae), PhytoKeys 67, pp. 1-326 : 214-216

Conostegia schlimii (Triana) Kriebel comb. nov. Fig. 188

Conostegia schlimii (Triana) Kriebel. Basionym: Miconia schlimii Triana, Trans. Linn. Soc. London 28(1): 102. 1872. Lectotype (designated here): Colombia. Nouvelle Grenade: Santa Marta, 1852, L. Schlim 903 (lectotype: BM!, isolectotypes K!).

Acinodendron schlimii (Triana) Kuntze, Revis. Gen. Pl. 2: 952. 1891. Type: Colombia. Nouvelle Grenade: Santa Marta, 1852, L. Schlim 903 (lectotype: BM!, isolectotypes: K!).

Conostegia dolichostylis Donn. Sm, Bot. Gaz. 42(4): 294. 1906. Type: Costa Rica. Puntarenas: in silvis ad Buenos Aires, Feb 1892, A. Tonduz 4943 (holotype: US!).

Description.

Shrubs to trees 1.5-8(-14) m tall with flattened stems in newer branches that are densely covered with ferrugineous stellate hairs often intermixed with plumose hairs; the nodal line inconspicuous. Leaves of a pair equal to unequal in length. Petiole 1-4.8 cm. Leaf blades 5-25.8 × 2-10.1 cm, 3-5(-7)-plinerved, with the innermost pair of primary veins diverging from the midvein 0.8-4.5 cm above the base in opposite or commonly alternate fashion, narrowly elliptic-lanceolate to elliptic-ovate, the base acute to obtuse but sometimes varying to asymmetrical, the apex acuminate, the margin obscurely to conspicuously undulate-denticulate, the adaxial surface glabrous or with few trichomes on the main veins, the abaxial surface covered with ferrugineous stellate hairs often intermixed with plumose hairs on the primary veins. Inflorescence a terminal few flowered panicle 2-5.2 cm long branching at or above the base, accessory branches absent, the rachis with a ferrugineus indument like the young stems, bracteoles 1-3 mm, linear, deciduous. Pedicel 0.5-2 mm. Floral buds 6.5-7.5 × 4-5 mm. Flowers 5-merous, calyx not calyptrate or fused in bud, stellulate within, the hypanthium 3.75-4.25 × 5.25-5.5 mm, slightly constricted at the torus especially when going into fruit, ferrugineus, calyx lobes flange-like, 1-1.5 mm long, calyx teeth small and tuberculate, barely exceeding the calyx lobes. Petals 9-14 × 8-10 mm, white, obovate, spreading at anthesis, rounded-emarginate at the apex, glabrous on both surfaces. Stamens 10, 9.5-10.5 mm, radially arranged in the middle of the flower, the filaments 4.75-5.25 mm, white, anthers 4.5-5 × 1.25-1.75 mm, oblong, yellow, the pore 0.15-0.2 mm, ventrally inclined. Ovary 5-locular, inferior, the apex shallowly fluted and glabrous. Style 12-14.5 mm, straight or strongly bent, vertical distance between the anthers and stigma ca. 1.5-3 mm, horizontal distance 0-3 mm, stigma capitate, ca. 1 mm wide. Berry 8-10 × 8-10 mm, purple. Seeds 0.45-0.7 mm long, deltoid, smooth and angulate.

Distribution

(Fig. 189 ). Belize, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Panama, Colombia, and northern Venezuela at 0-1200(-2000) m in elevation.

Conostegia schlimii is one of the most common species of Conostegia and an easy one to recognize. It has a conspicuous rusty indument on branch apices, the leaves are evidently plinerved and frequently with asymmetrically arising primary veins, as well as an undulate-denticulate margin. The flowers are quite large and have distinctive basally clawed petals, large bright yellow anthers and a capitate stigma. It is one of the largest flowered species in the genus and one of the few large flowered species not to be pleiostemonous. Its berries are also quite large. Flowers of this species have been observed being buzzed by Melipona costaricensis in the Osa Peninsula of Costa Rica. For such a common species in the Pacific slope of Costa Rica as well as being present towards the Caribbean slope in Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala and Belize, it is suprising it is absent in the Caribbean slope of Costa Rica. Based on morphology, Conostegia schlimii is hard to confuse with any other taxon. Perhaps the one that most closely resembles Conostegia schlimii , based on floral size and general morphology is Conostegia incurva . The latter differs in its leaf abaxial surface being covered with indument and most noticeably in its claw like, conspicuous, calyx teeth.

Specimens examined.

COSTA RICA. Alajuela: San Gerardo de San Ramón, Brenes 1903 (CR, NY). Bella Vista De Zarcero , Smith 149 (CR, MO, NY) . Cartago: Turrialba, Reventazón, DeWolf 236 (NY). Puntarenas: Distrito Sierpe, R. F. Golfo Dulce, Los Charcos 1 km. al este del centro del pueblo Banegas, Estación Biológica Los Charcos de Osa, Aguilar 10854 (NY); Estación Biológica Las Cruces, road between the station and San Vito, Boyle and Michelangeli 6228 (NY); Steep forested slopes above Golfito along the trail to the television tower, Burger and Matta 4743 (NY); R. N. V. S. Golfito, Martén 775 (CR, NY); in forest on hills near Volcan de Buenos Aires , Williams 19251 (CR, NY) . San José: P.N. Carara Hills at SW part of Montañas de Jamaica ca. 2.5 km NE of Bijagual de Turrubares, Carara Reserve, Grayum et sl. 5462 (MO, NY); Zona Protectora La Cangreja, forests along Rio Negro ca. 1.5 km E of Santa Rosa de Puriscal, Grayum 8327 (NY); Acosta, Salvaje, Cerros de Escazu , Kriebel and Cordero 1316 (NY); Camino entre Puriscal y P. N. La Cangreja, Kriebel 5329 (INB, NY). Perez Zeledón, Vicinity of El General , Skutch 4320, 4867 (MO, NY) .

BELIZE. Cayo: 4 miles south of Grand de Oro on road to La Flor, Dwyer 10904 (NY) . Toledo: Columbia Forest Station near entrance, Dwyer 11090 (MO, NY); in broken bridge, Criquetrosa, Punta Gorda-San Antonio Road, Gentle 4805 (NY); BARC farm about 1 km up the Columbia River from San Pedro, Houck 3971 (NY) .

EL SALVADOR. Ahuachapán: Vicinity of Ahuachapan , Standley 20270 (NY) . La Libertad: Vicinity of Santa Tecla , Standley 23072 (NY) .

GUATEMALA. Escuintla: Concepción, Smith 2212 (MO, NY); Along or near Rio Michatoya southeast of Escuintla, Standley 89081 (NY) . Izabal: Sierra Caral, Quebrada atravesada por el sendero al noreste de la casa de investigadores, hacia la Finca Bonanza, Kriebel et al. 5614 (USCG, NY); Vicinity of Quiriguá, Standley 24560 (NY). Suchitepéquez: Rio Sis , Smith 2655 (NY) .

HONDURAS. Atlántida: along Tela River between Peñas Gordas and Tela, Molina and Molina 25664 (MO, NY). La Ceiba: in forest slopes of Mt. Cangrejal , Yuncker 8780 (MO, NY). YORO: alrededores de El Progreso, Molina 6796 (NY) .

NICARAGUA. Granada: Volcán Mombacho, por las faldas del lado E, camino de Las Delicias, Moreno 24275 (CAS) . Rivas: Isla Ometepe, Volcán Concepción, cafetales "La Flor", Robleto 1015 (CAS). Zelaya: Forest bridge over Río Almacén 8 km SW of Nueva Guinea, Nee and Vega 27935 (NY) .

PANAMA. Chiriquí: Progreso, Cooper and Slater 297 (NY); Roadside from Paso Canoas to Canos Gordas 17 mi from Paso Canoas, Liesner 225 (NY); between Concepcion and El Volcan , White 312 (NY) . Coclé: Between Las Margaritas and El Valle, Woodson, Allen and Seibert 1241 (NY); Hills south of El Valle de Anton, Allen 2496 (NY) . Darién: SE of Punta Guayabo Grande, Antonio and Hahn 4382 (NY) . Los Santos: Loma Prieta, Cerro Grande, Lewis et al. 2205 (MO, NY) . Veraguas: Isla Coiba, Playa Rosario, Galdames et al. 2583 (MO, NY) .

COLOMBIA. Chocó: vicinity of Bahia Solano tropical wet forest near sea level cli?s along coast, Gentry and Fallen 17188 (NY) . Santa Marta: near Cacagualito, Santa Marta, Smith 3 (NY).

VENEZUELA (fide Almeda). Zulia: Sierra Perijá, Steyermark 105793 (US).

Figures

Figure 188. Conostegia schlimii. A Leaf abaxial surface B-C Flower D Infructescence E Flower bud F Longitudinal section of a flower bud G Pickled flower H Petal I Longitudinal section of a flower. Note inferior ovary J Stamen. Photo A taken by Reinaldo Aguilar and vouchered R. Aguilar 10854 C, E-J of specimen vouchered R. Kriebel et al 5614 B from R. Kriebel et al 5095, and D from R. Kriebel et al 5329.

Figure 189. Distribution of Conostegia schlimii.