Conostegia tenuifolia Donnell Smith

Kriebel, Ricardo, 2016, A Monograph of Conostegia (Melastomataceae, Miconieae), PhytoKeys 67, pp. 1-326 : 141-145

Conostegia tenuifolia Donnell Smith Fig. 133

Conostegia tenuifolia Donnell Smith, Bot. Gaz. 27: 334. 1899. Type: Costa Rica. Limón: April 1896, J. Smith 6571 (lectotype: BR!, designated here; isolectotypes: BM, GH, US!). Other syntypes: Costa Rica. Limón: Río Verde, Llanuras de Santa Clara, Costa Rica, 250 m, May 1896, J. Smith 6574 (BR!, F!, K! (fide Almeda), US); forets de Shiroles, Talamanca, Costa Rica, ca.100 m, February 1895, A. Tonduz 9339 (BR!, NY!, US!).

Description.

Shrub or small tree 1.5-4 (-8) m tall with young tetragonal stems that then become terete and which are glabrescent with some minute stellate trichomes scattered throughout; the nodal line present yet slight. Leaves at a node equal to subequal in size. Petioles 0.3-3 cm. Leaf blades 5.9-19 × 2.1-9 cm, 3-5 plinerved, with the innermost pair of primary veins diverging from the midvein up to 1.5 cm above the base in opposite to alternate fashion, the secondaries obscure, elliptic to obovate, the base acute ro rounded, the apex obtuse to acute and caudate, the mar gin entire, the adaxial surface glabrous, the abaxial surface glabrous except for tiny stellate hairs on the veins. Inflorescence a terminal few flowered panicle 2.2-8 cm long, accessory branches absent or if present frequently reduced to single flowers the rachis glabrescent with minute stellate hairs, the bracteoles up to 1mm long, linear to ovate, deciduous. Pedicels 1-2.2 mm. Flowers (5-)6(-7) merous, calyptrate. Floral buds 6-9 × 3-5 mm, globose, wider below the torus, the base truncate to rounded, the apex apiculate, constricted in the middle, the hypanthium 4-5 × 4-5 mm, sparsely stellate with minute trichomes. Petals 6-8.25 × 6-7.25 mm, translucent white, obtriangular, spreading at anthesis, apically asymmetrical, glabrous. Stamens 18-24, 3.5-5 mm long, radial to slightly bilateral apparently from interactions with the style, the filament 2-3 mm long, white, anthers 1-2 × 0.5-0.75 mm, oblong, forming an anther shoulder at the filament anther junction, yellow, the pore 0.1-0.2 mm, terminal. Ovary (6-)8-12 locular, inferior, apically glabrous and forming a low inconspicuous collar around the style. Style 5-6 mm long, straight with the stigma turning slightly upward, vertical distance from the anther pore to the stigma ca. 3-3.5 mm, horizontal distance absent; stigma capitellate, 1-1.25 mm wide. Berry 5-7 × 5-7 mm, purple black. Seeds 0.25-0.45 mm long, ovoid, the testa smooth.

Distribution

(Fig. 134 ). Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia and reaching Ecuador, most common below 1000 m in elevation but reaching 1600 m.

This species is easy to recognize because of its glabrosity, plinerved leaves with entire margins and caudate apices, few flowered inflorescences, apiculate calyptra, and exserted styles with a capitate stigma. In addition, Conostegia tenuifolia has an evident anther shoulder. The calyptra of Conostegia tenuifolia has been observed to rupture longitudinally at one site in San Vito de Coto Brus, Puntarenas, Costa Rica (Fig. 133 ). The specimens from Peru (Kayap 955 and Berlin 723, both at NY), resemble this species, but more flowering specimens are required to assess their identity.

Specimens examined.

NICARAGUA (fide Schnell). Chontales: 4 km NW Santo Domingo, Grijalva and Soza 3739 (MO) . Jinotega: Comarca de Bocayito, 117 km from Matagalpa, Cordillera Isabelia, near Rio Bote , Neil 7171 (GH). Matagalpa: NW del Cerro Musun, sobre el filo de la montana, a partir trocha a Paylo, Araguistain and Moreno 2580 (MO). Zelaya: Cerro EI Escobin, 4 km from Colonia Serrano, Sandino 3368 (MO) .

COSTA RICA. Alajuela: R.V.S. Bosque Alegre, Laguna Hule, Kriebel and Larraguivel 667 (INB); San Carlos, Fortuna, R. B. Arenal Mundo Aventura, Rodríguez 8979 (INB, NY); San Ramón, Peñas Blancas, Chachagua , Finca Propiedad de la Asociacion de Desarrollo , Alrededores de Quebrada Chachagita en cercanías del pueblo, Rodríguez 11693 (INB, NY) . Cartago: Jiménez, Tausito, Río Tausito, Santamaría and Morales 4343 (INB, NY); rain forest area near Pavones about 15 kms east of Turrialba , Williams 19704 (NY) . Limón: Matina, P. N. Barbilla Sector Colonia Puriscaleña, sendero Cerro Azul hasta Río Surubres, Mora 1168 (INB, MO, NY) . Puntarenas: Coto Brus, Jardín Botanico Wilson, Kriebel 3215 (INB); loc cit. Moran and Hernandez 7950 (NY) . San José: Pérez Zeledon, Basin of El General, Skutch 5102 (CR, MO, NY) .

PANAMA. Bocas del Toro: Río Teribe, between Quebrada Huron and Quebrada Schlunjik, Kirkbride and Duke 470 (NY). Darién: 0-2 miles E of Tres Bocas along the shortest headwater of Rio Coasi , Kirkbride and Duke 1189 (NY) .

COLOMBIA. Antioquia (fide Schnell): Mpio. Gómez Plata, 10-15 km en la via Barboza Porce-Amalfi, N de Barboza, Río Medellin, límites Mpio. Yolombó, Callejas et al. ( US). Boyacá: Region of Mt. Chapon, extreme western part of Dept. Boyaca northwest of Bogotá, Lawrence 340 (NY).

ECUADOR (fide Schnell). Carchí: trail to Pailon encampment, Gualpi Chico area of Awa reserve , Hoover et al. 3617 (MO) . Pichincha: Cantón Santo Domingo, 12 km E of Patricia Pilar, Dodson et al. 7243 (MO) .

Figures

Figure 133. Conostegia tenuifolia. A Inflorescence B Leaf abaxial surface C Lateral view of a flower. Note exserted style D Longitudinal section of a flower bud E Pickled flower F Longitudinal section of a pickled flower G Petal H Stamen. Photographs from specimen vouchered R. Kriebel 5773.

Figure 134. Distribution of Conostegia tenuifolia.