Bertolonia Raddi (1820: 384)

Bisewski, Gessica C. A., Bacci, Lucas F., Amorim, André M. & Goldenberg, Renato, 2022, The Genus Bertolonia (Melastomataceae) In The State Of Bahia, Brazil, Phytotaxa 548 (2), pp. 153-183 : 155-156

Bertolonia Raddi (1820: 384)

Herbs, terrestrial, epiphytic or rupiculous. Stem, branches, leaves, bracts, bracteoles, hypanthium and calyx always glandulose-punctate, sometimes glandulose-villose, glandulose-hirsute or glandulose-pilose. Stem rounded, seldom quadrangular. Leaves opposite, seldom alternate; petioles rounded to quadrangular, sometimes glandulose-villose or glandulose-pilose, seldom glandulose-hirsute or glandulose-strigose; leaf blade surfaces flat or bullate/foveolate, elliptic, ovate, obovate, rarely lanceolate, base cordate, rounded, obtuse or attenuate, apex rounded, obtuse, acute, acuminate, seldom cuspidate, margins entire to denticulate (in the upper half or throughout), crenate or crenulate, eciliate to sparsely and densely ciliate, adaxial surface sometimes glandulose-villose or glandulose-pilose, abaxial surface sometimes glandulose-villose, glandulose-hirsute or glandulose-pilose, main veins 1, 3 or 5, plus one or two additional pairs that do not reach the leaf apex. Inflorescences terminal, seldom pseudo-lateral, scorpioid, branches glandulose-villose or glandulose-pilose. Bracts sessile, widely obovate to obovate, elliptic, ovate or lanceolate, apex obtuse, acute or acuminate, margins eciliate or ciliate, both surfaces sometimes glandulose-villose or glandulosehirsute; bracteoles sessile, narrow lanceolate to lanceolate, elliptic to obovate, apex acute or acuminate, both surfaces glandulose-punctate and glandulose-villose. Flowers 5-merous, hypanthium obconic or short-terete. Calyx membranaceous, sepals not divided into an inner lamina and a dorsal tooth (see Basso-Alves et al. 2017), widely ovate to ovate or elliptic, apex rounded, obtuse, acute or acuminate, margins entire or fimbriate, eciliate to ciliate, both surfaces sometimes glandulose-villose. Petals white or pink, seldom lilac, apex acuminate or apiculate, the apiculum with a gland head. Stamens 10; anthers cream-colored or yellow, lanceolate, seldom oblong, flat or undulate, pore rounded, rarely triangular, with or without thickened margins, introrse or extrorse; connective prolonged below the thecae, dorsally thickened, dorsally bilobed or unappendaged. Ovary inferior, apex glabrous; style straight or curved at the apex, glabrous, minutely capitate. Fruits capsular, obtriquetrous. Seeds fusiform or reniform, tuberculate.

Key for the species of Bertolonia in Bahia, Brazil

1. Leaf blades with the adaxial surface only glandulose-punctate .........................................................................................................2

- Leaf blades with the adaxial surface glandulose-punctate and also glandulose-villose or glandulose-pilose ...................................8

2. Leaf blades with a suprabasal inner pair of veins...............................................................................................................................3

- Leaf blades with a basal inner pair of veins .......................................................................................................................................4

3. Leaf blades widely ovate or elliptic; petals pink with an apiculate apex .................................................................... 7. B. igrapiuna

- Leaf blades narrowly lanceolate to narrowly ovate; petals white, the apex not apiculate ..........................................15. B. vitoriana

4. Leaf blades with the abaxial surface only glandulose-punctate .........................................................................................................5

- Leaf blades with the abaxial surface glandulose-punctate and also glandulose-villose or glandulose-hirsute..................................7

5. Leaf blades 3.9–8 × 1.8–3.7 cm; petals linear-lanceolate ..................................................................................... 2. B. angustipetala

- Leaf blades 7.3–23 × 3.9–16.5 cm; petals elliptic, ovate or obovate .................................................................................................6

6. Leaf blades with the base shortly attenuate to narrowly rounded; anthers dehiscing through an extrorse pore......... 7. B. igrapiuna

- Leaf blades with the base widely rounded to seldom cordate; anthers dehiscing through an introrse pore ................5. B. cuspidata

7. Stem, branches and hypanthium only glandulose-punctate; leaf blades with the margins sparsely to moderately ciliate .................. ..........................................................................................................................................................................................4. B. carmoi

- Stem, branches and hypanthium glandulose-punctate and also glandulose-villose, glandulose-pilose or glandulose-hirsute; leaf blades with the margins densely ciliate .......................................................................................................................12. B. reginatoi

8. Leaf blades with a bullate adaxial surface..........................................................................................................................................9

- Leaf blades with a flat adaxial surface .............................................................................................................................................11

9. Leaf blades with a suprabasal inner pair of veins.............................................................................................................3. B. bullata

- Leaf blades with a basal inner pair of veins .....................................................................................................................................10

10. Petioles glandulose-punctate and densely glandulose-hirsute..................................................................................6. B. hirsutissima

- Petioles glandulose-punctate and glandulose-pilose .................................................................................................. 8. B. kollmannii

11. Leaves alternate......................................................................................................................................................... 1. B. alternifolia

- Leaves opposite ................................................................................................................................................................................12

12. Leaf blades lanceolate, with a rounded or obtuse base ............................................................................................. 9. B. linearifolia - Leaf blades widely ovate to elliptic, with a cordate to subcordate base...........................................................................................13

13. Leaf blades with entire margins; anthers dehiscing through an extrorse pore .................................................................................14

- Leaf blades with denticulate margins; anthers dehiscing through an introrse pore..........................................................................15

14. Leaf blades 3–5 × 2.5–4.3 cm, both surfaces with purplish trichomes ........................................................................14. B. violacea

- Leaf blades 9.6–15 × 5–11.5 cm, with brownish trichomes...................................................................................13. B. riocontensis

15. Anthers dehiscing through a rounded pore with thickened margins .......................................................................... 10. B. maculata

- Anthers dehiscing through a triangular pore with non-thickened margins ............................................................. 11. B. marmorata