Miconia subcompressa Urban, Ark. Bot.

Judd, Walter S., Majure, Lucas C., Ionta, Gretchen M. & Neubig, Kurt M., 2015, Taxonomic studies in the Miconieae (Melastomataceae). XIII. Systematics of Miconia subcompressa, a Hispaniolan endemic comprised of three eco-geographic subspecies, Phytotaxa 197 (2), pp. 61-83 : 73-74

1. Miconia subcompressa Urban, Ark. Bot. 17(7): 45, 1921.

Type:— HAITI. Dept. du Sud, Massif de la Hotte, near aux Cayes, ca. 800 m, fl, 11 Jun 1917, E. L. Ekman H 206 (holotype S!).

Evergreen shrub or small tree to ca. 5 m tall. Indumentum of multicellular, ferrugineous, globular-stellate hairs. Young twigs not ridged, ± elliptic in cross-section, 4–9.5 (–11) mm wide, sometimes ± sulcate, becoming terete with age, the indumentum usually dense, globular-stellate to elongate-stellate or dendritic hairs, often ± glabrescent with age; internodes 1–7.5 (–9) mm long. Leaves with petiole 1–5 cm long, the indumentum dense; blade 6.3–31.5 cm long, 2.3–12 (–15.8) cm wide, with length/width quotient 1.5–3.85 (–4.9), ovate to elliptic or elliptic-oblong, sometimes broadly so, ± flat, coriaceous, the apex acute to slightly and/or shortly acuminate, or obtuse to obtuse- or roundedmucronate, the base acute or obtuse to slightly cordate, the margin plane, obscurely to clearly and irregularly serrate, the largest teeth 0.2–4 mm long, becoming entire near base, 3–33% of margin entire; venation acrodromous, slightly suprabasal, with midvein and 4 or 6 secondary veins, with 2 conspicuous (i.e., the innermost) secondary veins placed 3–27 mm from margin and 4 or 2 inconspicuous secondary veins closer to margin, and numerous percurrent tertiary veins oriented subperpendicular to midvein, the tertiary veins jointed by percurrent-orthogonal quaternary veins; adaxial surface green to dark green, shiny to dull, the indumentum dense when young, but quickly glabrescent, the midvein and major secondary veins impressed, minor secondary, tertiary veins, quaternary veins, and some and higher order veins slightly impressed, and the areoles thus slightly to moderately bullate and sometimes with a “ridge” of prominently bullate areoles running longitudinally between midvein and innermost secondary vein (but both extent of areole bullation and development of “ridge” obscured when blade pressed and dried), the surface minutely papillose when dry due to numerous druse crystals; abaxial surface ± ferrugineous, nearly white to dark reddish brown, sometimes with darker hairs on the veins than the lamina, densely covered with multicellular, globular-stellate hairs to ca. 0.8 mm across (but epidermis only moderately covered in very juvenile material), the midvein and major secondary veins prominently raised, minor secondary and tertiary, and quaternary veins raised, the higher order veins slightly to not at all raised. Inflorescences many-flowered, open, paniculate cymes of usually 3–5 major branch-pairs, 3.5–15 cm long, 3.5–12 cm in diameter; proximal segment of lowermost inflorescence branches 1–4.7 cm long, distal internodes increasingly shorter, the ultimate branches (1.5–) 2–6 mm long, all with dense pale to deeply ferrugineous globular-stellate indumentum; peduncle 3–10.5 cm long; each inflorescence branch associated with an early caducous, broadly elliptic to narrowly ovate bract, 5.5–15 mm long, 1.5–2.5 mm wide, the apices acute; flowers in dichasia, each flower associated with a pair of caducous, narrowly elliptic to ovate or linear bracteoles, ca. 2–6 mm long, 0.5–1 mm wide, the indumentum dense, their apices acute to obtuse. Flowers with pedicel 0.4–1.3 mm long. Hypanthium ± cylindrical, 2.5–4 mm long, free portion ca. 1.7–2.2 mm long, the outer surface with moderate to dense, ferrugineous, globular-stellate hairs, the inner surface glabrous and 10-ridged, the apices of the ridges forming minute projections ca. 0.1 mm long. Calyx teeth (= external calyx lobes) 5, 0.4–3 mm long, 0.9–1.5 mm wide, broadly to narrowly triangular with acute to acuminate apex, dense ferrugineous, globular-stellate indumentum; calyx lobes 5, 1–3.5 mm long, 2.3–3 mm wide, moderately to broadly ovate-triangular, pale green, green with red tinge, or red, with sparse to dense ferrugineous indumentum on both surfaces, the apex rounded (obtuse to acute), the margin minutely erose; calyx tube 0.3–0.8 mm long. Petals 5, 3.8–6.3 mm long, 2.8–4.8 mm wide, broadly ovate to elliptic or obovate, glabrous, white, sometimes pink tinged; margin entire. Stamens 10, geniculate; proximal segment 1.3–2.9 mm long; distal segment 2.6–4.2 mm long, with minute dorsal projection, the anther 1.8–3.2 mm long, with fertile portion of anthers sacs 1.6–2.8 mm long, the connective/distal part of filament extending 1.6–2.8 mm beyond the base of the anther sacs. Ovary 5-loculate, ± half-inferior, 2.2–3.4 mm long, 2.9–4.5 mm in diameter, short-ovoid, glabrous and 10-ridged, lacking a crown, but with a collar with minute apical projections, to ca. 0.4 mm long, encircling base of style; style 3.3–4.8 mm long, glabrous; stigma truncate. Mature berries ca. 8–11 mm in diameter, globose, pale blue (red when immature), moderately to sparsely covered with globular-stellate hairs. Seeds 0.5–0.8 mm long, angular-obovoid; testa smooth, with differentiated and flattened raphe.

Distribution and Habitat:—Hispaniola ( Haiti and the Dominican Republic), Massif de la Hotte and Massif de la Selle/Sierra de Bahoruco (both east and west of the Hoyo de Pelempito), and thus limited to the southern portion of the island; cloud forest, moist forest of Pinus occidentalis , and moist forest on limestone (= rak bwa); 700–2300 m.

Phenology:—Flowering throughout the year.