Miconia erikasplundii Gamba & Almeda, 2014

Gamba, Diana & Almeda, Frank, 2014, Systematics of the Octopleura Clade of Miconia (Melastomataceae: Miconieae) in Tropical America, Phytotaxa 179 (1), pp. 1-174 : 75-76

14. Miconia erikasplundii Gamba & Almeda , nom. nov. Basionym: Clidemia asplundii Wurdack (1973a: 404–405) . Type: ECUADOR. Prov. Morona-Santiago (Santiago-Zamora on original label): Macas, wooded bank of the Río Upano, ca. 800 m, 18 March 1956, Asplund 19806 (holotype: S!). Nec Miconia asplundii Wurdack (1972: 202–203) .

Slender shrub or small tree to 3 m tall, commonly sparingly branched. Upper internodes [3–15.4 cm long] and cauline nodes terete, nodal line absent. Indumentum on branchlets, petioles, inflorescence axes, bracts, and bracteoles densely and copiously composed of resinous sessile dendritic trichomes 0.1–0.2 mm in diameter with short axes and few-moderate number of terete arms. Leaves of a pair conspicuously anisophyllous (2:3–6); the terete petiole 1.9–2.95 cm long, (on larger leaves) or 0.58–1.41 cm long (on smaller leaves), slightly canaliculate adaxially from the primary leaf vein throughout its entire length; larger blades 13.5–20.4 × 8.9–13.8 cm, ovalorbicular, the base rounded-obtuse, the margin distantly undulate-serrulate, the apex bluntly acuminate; smaller blades 6.9–12.2 × 6.6–10.3 cm, orbicular, the base rounded to slightly cordate, the margin distantly undulateserrulate, the apex shortly and bluntly acuminate; membranaceous; adaxial surface of mature leaves glabrous except for a few sessile-stellate trichomes at the base of the blade, the primary, secondary, tertiary and higher order veins glabrous; abaxial surface glabrous except for a few sessile-stellate trichomes coming from the venules, the primary, secondary, tertiary and higher order veins densely to copiously covered with resinous sessile-stellate trichomes 0.25–0.3 mm in diameter; 5-(7-)nerved (larger leaves) or 5-nerved (smaller leaves), including the tenuous marginals, with a thick-callose vesicular structure formed at the blade base abaxially where the innermost pair of secondary veins diverge from the primary vein, areolae 0.2–0.3 mm, adaxially the primary, secondary, tertiary and higher order veins conspicuously impressed, abaxially the primary and secondary veins elevated and terete, the tertiary and higher order veins slightly elevated. Inflorescences a pseudolateral dithyrsoid (6–) 7–10 cm long, including a peduncle 1.6–2.8 cm long, divaricately branched from the peduncle apex, the dendritic indumentum on the axes sparse and densely intermixed with resinous sessile-stellate trichomes 0.25–0.3 mm in diameter; bracts 0.5–0.6 × 0.25 mm, oblong-obovate, somewhat erect, deciduous in fruit; bracteoles 1–1.5(–2.5) × 0.3 mm, oblong-obovate, patent, persistent in fruit. Flowers 4-merous on pedicels 0.5–0.8 mm long, densely to copiously resinous with slightly furrowed more or less stalked glands to 0.1 mm long. Hypanthia at anthesis

SYSTEMATICS OF THE OCTOPLEURA CLADE OF MICONIA

Phytotaxa 179 (1) © 2014 Magnolia Press 75 2.8–2.9 × 1.7–1.9 mm, free portion of hypanthium 1–1.2 mm long, urceolate, bluntly 8-ribbed, densely to copiously resinous with slightly furrowed more or less stalked glands to 0.1 mm long, ridged inside, the inner vestiture not seen, torus adaxially not seen. Calyx open in bud and persistent in fruit; tube 0.2 mm long, the calyx lobes and exterior calyx teeth copiously resinous-glandular like the hypanthium, inner surface and vestiture not seen; lobes 0.35 × 0.8–0.9 mm, ovate, the margin entire, the apex rounded; exterior calyx teeth 0.2 mm long, ovate and thick, inserted near the base of the calyx lobes, divergent but not projecting beyond the lobes. Petals 1.6 × 1.6–1.7 mm, suborbicular, the margin entire, the apex rounded, white, densely papillose on both surfaces, reflexed at anthesis. Stamens 8; filaments 1.5–1.6 × 0.2 mm, white, glabrous; anther thecae 1.9 × 0.25 mm, linear-oblong and slightly subulate, obtuse at the apex, opening by one dorsally inclined pore 0.1 mm in diameter, yellow at anthesis; connective darker than the thecae, its prolongation and appendage 0.35–0.4 mm long, the appendage oblong to deltoid, rounded at the apex, copiously gland-edged, the glands subsessile, minute, rounded and distributed throughout the connective and its prolongation. Ovary 4-locular, completely inferior, 1.7–1.8 mm long at anthesis, apical collar absent, the apex 0.35–0.4 mm in diameter, slightly depressed, moderately glandularpuberulent; style 5.5–6 mm long, parallel sided (i.e. terete), white, glabrous; stigma truncate to expanded-truncate when dry. Berries 3.55–4.55 × 4.05 mm when dry, globose and slightly oblate, ripening red and probably becoming blue-purple when fully mature, the hypanthium indumentum more or less persistent at maturity. Seeds 0.29–0.33 × 0.14–0.15 mm, ovoid, angled, light brown; lateral and antiraphal symmetrical planes ovate, the highest point toward the chalazal side or near the central part of the seed; raphal zone suboblong, as large to 50% larger than the corpus of the seed, extending along its entire length, ventrally and longitudinally expanded, dark-brown; individual cells elongate, anticlinal boundaries inconspicuously channeled and undulate; periclinal walls nearly flat, microrelief punctate.

Additional specimens studied:— Only the type was available for study.

Illustration:— None found.

Common names and documented uses:— None recorded.

Habitat, distribution and ecology:— Miconia erikasplundii is endemic to eastern Ecuador where it is only known from near Tena (Napo Province) and from the banks of the Río Upano near Macas (Morona-Santiago Province) ( Fig. 14 ) at 600–800 m. It occurs in the understory of riparian tropical forests along river banks. In its restricted range, it is considered a rare species .

Phenology:— The holotype was collected in flower and fruit in March.

Etymology:— The specific epithet commemorates the Swedish botanist Erik Asplund (1888–1974) who botanized in Andean South America. He collected in Ecuador, Perú and Colombia in 1939–1940, and again in 1955–1956 in Ecuador, Perú and Venezuela. The first set of his collections are deposited at S.

Discussion:— Miconia erikasplundii is more similar to M. biolleyana in the anisophylly and leaf shape, but the vegetative pubescence of M. biolleyana consists of only sessile-stellate trichomes, with none of the peculiar resinous-asperous dendritic trichomes present in M. erikasplundii . Furthermore, the vestiture of hypanthia and calyx teeth is clearly different. In M. biolleyana it consists of the same arachnoid vegetative tomentum of sessilestellate trichomes (vs. resinous-glandular in M. erikasplundii ). The rest of the floral characters (petals, stamens and style) are similar in the two species.

The current geographic ranges of M. biolleyana and M. erikasplundii do not overlap, the former is not known from Ecuador. It is known from Costa Rica, Panama and as far south as the department of Risaralda in Colombia.

Conservation status:— Endangered EN B2ab(iii). It was considered Vulnerable in past assessments ( Cotton & Pitman 2004). This Ecuadorian endemic is known only from three collections. The most recent is from 1960. It has not been collected in any of Ecuador’s protected areas but it could potentially occur in the Sangay National Park. Apart from habitat destruction, no specific threats are known.

Figures

FIGURE 14. Distributions of Miconia erikasplundii and M. incerta, M. evanescens, M. formicaria and M. rufibarbis, and M. latidecurrens.