Pleroma D. Don (1823: 293–295)

Silva, Marcus Felippe Oliveira Da, Guimarães, Paulo José Fernandes & Michelangeli, Fabián A., 2014, Nomenclatural and taxonomic novelties in the tribe Melastomeae (Melastomataceae), Phytotaxa 186 (4), pp. 222-228 : 224-225

Pleroma D. Don (1823: 293–295) .

= Purpurella Naudin (1849: 301–302) pro parte [sensu Triana (1871: 35)], syn. nov.

= Itatiaia Ule (1909: 234–235) , syn. nov.

Shrubs, subshrubs erect, rarely prostrate or trees covered with trichomes, sometimes gland-tipped or sessile, glutinous glands. Leaves opposite or rarely verticillate,, blades of a pair essentially equal in size, petiolate or rarely sessile, margin entire, papery to coriaceous, variously pubescent, glutinous or nearly glabrous, 3–5–7(–9–11)-nerved. Inflorescence terminal anthotelic frondobracteose, thyrsoid or some modification of this structure in which the main and at least some lateral axes have nodes distal to the first pair of leaves on a branch axis or solitary terminal flowers; bracteoles 2–(–4–6), free, variously pubescent, concave or plane, rare in calyptra, persistent or early deciduous, often enveloping floral buds and smaller than the mature hypanthium. Flowers perigynous; hypanthium campanulate to urceolate, mostly copiously pubescent externally, rarely glabrous; calyx lobes (4–)5, deciduous or rarely persistent; petals (4–)5, purple to lilac, rarely white, distended at anthesis, rarely campanulate or globose, but not forming a tube as in like Brachyotum ; stamens (8–)10, isomorphic, or weakly to moderately dimorphic or rarely strongly dimorphic, anthers 2-thecae, ventrally channeled, arcuate, apical pore ventrally inclined, rarely a short anther with a large pore, pedoconnectives variously prolonged and modified ventrally at filament insertion, facing upwards or with a pair of bilobed appendages or less commonly flat, covered by stalked glands or glabrous. Ovary superior or semi-inferior, apical portion with hairs or gland-tipped, 5–locular placentation axile; style glabrous or pilose, hooked or incurved apically, typically bent towards side opposite stamens. Capsule dry, semi-woody, loculicidal; seeds numerous, cochleate to elongate-cochleate and tuberculate, with a terminal hilum.

Features: Pleroma D. Don comprises approximately 170–180 species ( Fraga& Guimarães 2014; P. J. F. Guimarães & F. A. Michelangeli, unpubl. data) with a concentration of species in southeastern Brazil, in the Mata Atlântica biome and also in the Cerrado, rarely in the Caatinga. Only five species occur outside of Brazil, reaching northwestern and western South America.

Habitat: Forests and forest edges, banks of rivers and streams, high altitude grasslands, fields, rocky slopes on outcrops and shrubby restinga, from sea level to an elevation of 2,650 m.