Conostegia caelestis Standl.

Kriebel, Ricardo, 2016, A Monograph of Conostegia (Melastomataceae, Miconieae), PhytoKeys 67, pp. 1-326 : 57

Conostegia caelestis Standl. Fig. 73

Conostegia caelestis Standl., Field Mus. Nat. Hist. Publ. Bot. Series. 4: 318. 1929. Type: British Honduras (= Belize). Big Creek: Mullins river road, 15 m, 8 March 1929, W. Schipp 63 (holotype: F!, isotypes: A, BM, CAS!, GH, MICH, MO!, NY!, S, UC, US!).

Conostegia hondurensis Standl. ex Yuncker, Field Mus. Nat. Hist. Publ. Bot. Series. 9: 322. 1940. Type: Honduras. Atlántida: bank of Danto river, slopes of Mt. Cangrejal, vicinity of La Ceiba, 300 m, 6 August 1938, T. Yuncker, J. Koepper, & K. Wagner 8818 (holotype: F!, isotypes: BM, GH, K!, MO!, NY!, US!).

Description.

Small trees 2-12 m tall with tetragonal stems that soon become terete and are covered with simple and mostly stellate-stipitate trichomes to 1.5 mm long; the nodal line present but slight. Leaves of a pair equal to somewhat unequal in length. Petioles 0.6-3.8 cm long. Leaves 5.5-26 × 2-7.8 cm long, 3-5 nerved or 3-5 plinerved, if plinerved, the innermost pair of primary veins arising up to 1 cm above the in opposite or subopposite fashion, elliptical to obovate, the base acute or cuneate, the apex acute to acuminate, the margin entire to serrate, adaxial surface short-setose with simple bristles and sometimes stipitate stellate trichomes on the mid vein, abaxially covered with stipitate stellate hairs. Inflorescence a terminal panicle 3.9-9 cm long branched above the base, accessory branches absent, bracts linear, up to 5 mm long, deciduous, bracteoles 2-10 mm long, deciduous. Flowers 5-6 merous, calyptrate. Flower buds 5.8-7.6 × 2.9-3.5 mm, pyriform oblong, the base flat to rounded, the apex acute to apiculate, not constricted, hypanthium 3-3.25 × 3-3.25 mm, covered with stipitate stellate hairs. Petals 6-10 × 6.5-7 mm, white, obovate, not observed at anthesis, glabrous, 3 lobed. Stamens (14-)16-18, slightly zygomorphic, the filament 2.5-3 mm, not geniculate, anthers 2-2.5 × 0.3-0.6 mm, linear, reportedly white, somewhat laterally compressed, the base sagittate, the pore terminal, 0.1-0.15 mm. Ovary 7-10 locular, inferior, forming a glabrous collar around the base of the style. Style 3.5-4 mm, bent near the tip, vertical distance from the stigma to the anthers ca. -0.6 mm, horizontal distance absent; stigma subcapitate, 0.9-1.1 mm wide. Berry 6-7.5 × 6-7.5 mm, purple-black. Seeds 0.33-0.5 mm, pyramidal, smooth.

Distribution

(Fig. 74 ). Known from Mexico through Guatemala and Belize to Honduras from sea level to 1000 m in elevation.

Conostegia caelestis is easily distinguished from its congeners on the basis of its dense indument of stipitate stellate hairs especially on the leaf abaxial surface, inflorescence and hypanthia. As Schnell (1996) noted, this species has a very definite flowering time and is never fruiting at the same time that it is flowering, suggesting a long maturation time for the berries. Conostegia caelestis shares the dense indument of stipitate stellate hairs with Conostegia brenesii but they are not closely related. See further discussion of their differences under Conostegia brenesii .

Specimens examined.

MEXICO. Chiapas: west end of Laguna Ocotal Grande, Municipio de Ocosingo, Breedlove 15700 (NY).

BELIZE. El Cayo District: Humming Bird Highway, Gentle 8633 (MO, NY).

GUATEMALA. Alta Verapaz: Sebol in high forest about 2 km east, Contreras 4587 (NY) . Izabal: Vicinity of Lago Izabal 1-2 km south of village of Izabal, Jones et al. 3014 (NY); Sierra Caral, Quebrada atravesada por el sendero al noreste de la casa de investigadores, hacia la Finca Bonanza, Kriebel et al. 5588, 5617 (NY, USCG) . HONDURAS. Atlantida: along Rio Danta road to La Presa vicinity of La Ceiba, Molina 20822 (NY) . Olancho: Quebrada Catacamas cerca de la presa en Montaña Peña Blanca, Molina 8352 (NY); Lancetilla mountain , Molina and Molina 25611 (NY) .

Figures

Figure 73. Conostegia caelestis. A Leaf abaxial surface. B Infructescence. Photos of specimen vouchered R. Kriebel 5588.

Figure 74. Distribution of Conostegia caelestis.