Miconia monocephala Urb., Symb. Antill.

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 : 411

7. Miconia monocephala Urb., Symb. Antill. 9: 117. 1923 ≡ Pachyanthus monocephalus (Urb.) Borhidi in Abstr. Bot. (Budapest) 4: 27. 1976. – Lectotype (designated by Bécquer Granados in Brittonia 64: 204. 2012): Cuba, Prov. Oriente [HolguÍn], Sierra de Cristal , in cacum. montis inter saxa, 1325 m, 8 Mar 1916, E. L. Ekman 6821 ( S 05–3627 [photo!]; isolectotype: US 1302460!). – Fig. 14.

Morphological description — Shrubs 1–2 m tall, evergreen. Indumentum of lanate (vermiform) trichomes 0.1– 0.2 mm long, ferruginous, becoming grey to whitish with age, on young branches, leaves, inflorescences, flowers and hypanthium. Young branches terete, slightly flattened, densely lanate. Mature branches with grey smooth bark. Leaves verticillate; petiole 0.3–0.5 cm long, terete, densely lanate; leaf blade 2–5.5 × 1.5–3 cm, ovate to elliptic-ovate or broadly ovate to orbiculate, rigid, thick and coriaceous, base rounded to emarginate, apex round- ed to shortly apiculate, margin revolute, entire; adaxial surface usually bullate, densely whitish lanate when young, later mostly glabrescent; abaxial surface densely lanate, indumentum ferruginous becoming whitish to brown. Venation with 2 pairs of secondary veins, symmetric, basal, innermost conspicuous, placed 2.5–5 mm from margin, marginal pair mostly inconspicuous; midvein and secondary veins slightly impressed adaxially and prominent abaxially, tertiary and quaternary veins forming a dense reticulum, raised adaxially but inconspicuous abaxially. Mite domatia absent. Inflorescence 1.5–2 cm long, a densely glomerulate cyme, sessile, with 5–9 flowers; pseudopedicel absent; bracts 3.5–4 mm long, subulate, persistent, bracteoles persistent, c. 2 mm long, subulate. Flowers 5-merous, sessile. Hypanthium c. 4 × 5 mm, campanulate, free portion c. 1.5 mm long, external surface densely ferruginous lanate, internal surface glabrous. Calyx tube c. 0.5 mm long; calyx lobes c. 0.8 mm long, not extended, broadly triangular, internal surface glabrous; calyx teeth 1.5–2 mm long, linear, extended at anthesis. Petals c. 5 × 2.5 mm, obovate, pink to purple, glabrous, apex truncate, base decurrent. Stamens 10, probably deflexed to opposite site of flower to style, deflexed backward and turning pink to purple with age, probably falling together with petals. Filaments 2.5–3 × c. 0.4 mm. Anthers c. 2.2 × 0.5 mm, oblong, obtuse; connective projecting below thecae 0.1–0.2 mm; thecae smooth, with a ± apical pore. Ovary 3-locular, free portion rounded to conic, smooth, depressed at insertion of style, glabrous except at lanate apex; placentation axile-central. Style c. 3 mm long, glabrous. Berries 5–6 mm long, globose, probably maturing purple, c. 20-seeded. Seeds c. 1.7 mm long.

Phenology — Flowering specimens have been collected in May, July and October, fruiting specimens in May.

Distribution and ecology — Miconia monocephala is endemic to E Cuba ( Fig. 5), where it occurs in the Sierra de Cristal (HolguÍn and Santiago de Cuba). It grows in montane shrub woods on serpentine soils ( Borhidi 1996) at 900–1240 m.

Informal conservation status — Miconia monocephala was preliminarily assessed in the Red List of Cuban flora as Threatened, but without a specific category (see González-Torres & al. 2016). The EOO and AOO of M. monocephala are both estimated to be 1 km 2 (within the limit for Critically Endangered status under criterion B). The species is known from only one location inside the National Park Pico Cristal at the summits of this mountain range in conserved areas. The population of M. monocephala is not considered severely fragmented and no major threats are known for this species or its habitats. However, the population of M. monocephala is considered small and restricted, possibly with fewer than 1000 individuals. Therefore, the species can be assessed as Vulnerable (VU) under criterion D1.

Discussion — Miconia monocephala may be related to the lanate species M. baracoana and M. yamanigueyensis , as explained in the discussion of M. baracoana , and can be distinguished not only from them but from all oth- er Cuban Melastomataceae by the presence of 3-whorled leaves at each node.