Miconia lutgardae Bécquer & Michelang.

Bécquer, Eldis R., Bochorny, Thuane, Gavrutenko, Maria & Michelangeli, Fabián A., 2022, A revision of the “ basal-axile placentation clade ” of Miconieae, the newly erected Miconia sect. Liogieria (Melastomataceae: Miconieae) from the Greater Antilles, Willdenowia 52 (3), pp. 387-432 : 407-409

5. Miconia lutgardae Bécquer & Michelang. in Brittonia 71: 103. 2018 ≡ Ossaea ciliata Alain in Contr. Ocas. Mus. Hist. Nat. Colegio “De La Salle” 14: 10. 1955, nom. illeg. [non Ossaea ciliata (Triana) Cogn. in Candolle & Candolle, Monogr. Phan. 7: 1067. 1891] ≡ Ossaea moaensis Alain in Brittonia 20: 158. 1968 [non Miconia moensis (Britton) Alain in Contr. Ocas. Mus. Hist. Nat. Colegio “De La Salle” 14: 4. 1955]. – Holotype: Cuba, Prov. Oriente [HolguÍn], Cayo Coco, Moa, 15 Apr 1945, Acuña SV 12639 (HAC ex SV!; isotype: US 00123674!). – Fig. 2C, I; 3C; 12.

Morphological description — Shrubs 1–1.5 m tall, deciduous. Indumentum of stellate and dendritic trichomes c. 0.5 mm long, light brown or ferruginous on young branches, leaves, inflorescences, flowers and fruits, and elongate glandular trichomes 1.2–1.5 mm long, light brown on leaves. Young branches terete, densely tomentose, dendritic trichomes present mostly on nodes. Mature branches with light brown thin bark readily exfoliating in short fragments. Petiole 3–5 mm long, terete, canaliculate adaxially, tomentose, dendritic trichomes present but early caducous; leaf blade 1.7–3.5 × 1–2 cm, ovate to broadly ovate, chartaceous, base rounded to slightly cordate, apex obtuse to rounded, margin slightly revolute, entire, glandular ciliate; adaxial surface flat to bullate, sparsely tomentose, early glabrescent; abaxial surface sparsely tomentose, dendritic trichomes mostly on veins and early deciduous. Venation with 2 pairs of secondary veins, symmetric, innermost conspicuous, basal, marginal pair inconspicuous; midvein and secondary veins impressed adaxially and prominent abaxially, tertiary veins impressed adaxially and slightly prominent abaxially, quaternary veins mostly inconspicuous. Mite domatia absent. Inflorescence c. 1.5 × 1.5 cm, peduncle 5–7 mm long, with 2–4(or 5) flowers; each inflorescence with 0–1 pairs of major branches, terminal dichasia of 1 or 2(or 3) flowers, pseudopedicel 0.5–1 cm long, lateral branches arising at base of main axis with a terminal flower; bracts 1.5–2 mm long, subulate, early caducous, bracteoles c. 1.5 mm long, subulate, early caducous. Flowers 5-merous; pedicel 0.5–0.8 mm long. Hypanthium 1.8–2 mm long, campanulate, free portion c. 1 mm long, external surface densely tomentose mostly with dendritic trichomes, internal surface glabrous. Calyx tube c. 0.5 mm long; calyx lobes broadly triangular, 1–1.3 mm long, internal surface glabrous; calyx teeth 1–1.5 mm long, terete, densely tomentose mostly with dendritic trichomes. Petals 3.5–4 × 2.8–3 mm, oblong to slightly obovate, white to slightly pink, base decurrent, apex blunt with a notch and a group of dendritic trichomes, with one side folded inward. Stamens 10, deflexed to 1 side of flower at anthesis, rarely deflexed in 2 groups, deflexed backward and turning pink to red with age, falling together with petals. Filaments c. 2 mm long. Anthers ovate to shortly lanceolate, abruptly flattened toward apex, 1.4–1.7 × 0.5–0.7 mm, smooth; connective not projecting below thecae; thecae smooth, with an apical pore, white. Ovary 2-locular, free portion rounded, apex lobulate, glabrous; placentation axile-basal. Style c. 4.3 mm long. Berries 4–5 mm long, subglobose, 10–15-seeded. Seeds c. 2 mm long.

Phenology — Flowering specimens have been collected in March and April, fruiting specimens from March to May.

Distribution and ecology — Miconia lutgardae is endemic to E Cuba ( Fig. 11), in the Sierra de Moa (HolguÍn and Guantánamo). It grows in semi-arid montane shrub woods and semi-arid montane rainforest on serpentine soils ( Borhidi 1996) at 300– 800 m.

Informal conservation status — Miconia lutgardae (as Ossaea moaensis ) was preliminarily assessed in the Red List of Cuban flora as Threatened, but without a specific category (see González-Torres & al. 2016). The EOO of M. lutgardae is estimated to be 31 km 2 (within the limit for Critically Endangered status under sub-criterion B1) and its AOO to be 4 km 2 (within the limit for Critically Endangered under sub-criterion B2). However, these sub-criteria cannot be used because the conditions for the category Critically Endangered are not met. Miconia lutgardae is considered a rare species. It is known from only four localities representing three locations (sensu IUCN 2012), two of them included in the National Park Alejandro de Humboldt. Mining is the main threat to its habitat; therefore, a decline in extent and quality of habitat and number of individuals is expected in the locations of the Santa Teresita mining concession. Additionally, the location of Cayo Coco, Moa, is considered lost due to mining activities. The number of locations falls within the range of Endangered, and the species is therefore assessed as Endangered (EN) under criteria B1ab(i,ii,iii,v) +2ab(i,ii,iii,v).

Discussion — Among Cuban species of Miconia sect. Liogieria , both M. lutgardae and M. obtusa share a conspicuous indumentum of elongate glandular trichomes, which in the case of M. lutgardae are restricted to the leaf margins, but in M. obtusa are on the young branches, leaves, inflorescences, flowers and fruits. These species can be further differentiated by the leaves being 1.7–3.5 cm long in M. lutgardae vs 4–16 cm long in M. obtusa . Miconia lutgardae is easy to distinguish from the other deciduous species of Miconia endemic to E Cuba (i.e. M. cerasiflora , M. lenticellata and M. victorinii ) by its conspicuous fringe of elongate glandular trichomes on the leaf margins (vs such trichomes lacking, or early caducous as in M. lenticellata ), by the external surface of the hypanthium, calyx lobes and calyx teeth being densely tomentose mostly with dendritic trichomes (vs glabrescent to sparsely stellate tomentose) and the stamens usually being deflexed in a single group opposite the style (vs consistently deflexed in two groups, one with the style and the other opposite).

When we published the new name Miconia lutgardae ( Michelangeli & al. 2018), we made a mistake when pointing out that the new name was a “new combination based on the available heterotypic synonym”. In fact, the name was proposed as a replacement name (there are no known heterotypic synonyms) in honour of Lutgarda González Geigel (1948–2006), a beloved professor of botany in the Biology Faculty of Havana University and one of the founders of the National Botanical Garden of Havana.