Miconia sect. Liogieria Bécquer & Michelang., 2022

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 : 394

Miconia sect. Liogieria Bécquer & Michelang. , sect. nov.

Type: Miconia cerasiflora Urb.

Diagnosis — Species of Miconia differing from all others by combination of filaments deflexed backward and stamens turning pink to red after anthesis, placentation reduced axile to basal, not intruded, fruits few-seeded, and seeds with raphal area broad, usually deeply sunken.

Morphological description — Shrubs or small trees, erect (rarely climbing), evergreen or deciduous. Indumentum mostly of sessile or stalked stellate trichomes and dendritic trichomes, and lanate (vermiform) trichomes on young branches, leaves, inflorescences, flowers and fruits. Young branches terete to slightly flattened, conspicuously winged to subquadrangular. Mature branches usually with conspicuous longitudinal lenticels; bark mostly grey to whitish, sometimes reddish, smooth to fissured or very thin and exfoliating easily in short fragments. Leaves opposite, decussate, rarely 3-verticillate, petiolate, rarely sessile, isophyllous or slightly anisophyllous; blade with margin more or less revolute, entire to serrulate-denticulate, largest teeth to 0.6 mm long, sometimes ± glandular ciliate; adaxial surface flat to bullate. Venation acrodromous, with 1 or 2(or 3) pairs of mostly basal secondary veins, symmetric, rarely asymmetric, innermost conspicuous, sometimes suprabasal, marginal pair usually inconspicuous, tertiary veins percurrent, oriented ± perpendicular to midvein; midvein, secondary and tertiary veins usually prominent abaxially, quaternary veins mostly inconspicuous. Mite domatia generally absent, occasionally present as a cavity between midvein and first pair of secondary veins. Inflorescence terminal, cymose, mostly a basal-ramose open/lax panicle, pyramidal panicle, corymbiform cyme, dense capitate glomerule or in dichasia, sessile or pedunculate, with (1–)3–29(–100) flowers. Flowers 4- or 5(or 6)-merous, slightly zygomorphic, sessile or pedicellate. Hypanthium usually campanulate, not ridged (conspicuously conic and 12–ridged in Miconia matosiana ). Calyx teeth mostly inconspicuous, arising from midline of calyx lobes, shorter to much exceeding length of calyx lobes; calyx lobes valvate in bud. Petals 4 or 5(or 6), white, pink to purple, broadly obovate, slightly asymmetric toward apex, glabrous or with trichomes at margin, apex and/or abaxial surface, base decurrent, not unguiculate, margin entire, apex obtuse to rounded with a notch. Stamens 8–10(–12), isomorphic, glabrous, usually deflexed in 2 groups at anthesis, (1–)3 or 4 on same side of flower as style and 6 or 7(–9) on opposite side, or deflexed as 1 group opposite style, rarely surrounding style; filaments later deflexed backward and entire androecium turning pink to red with age, mostly falling together with petals. Filaments flattened, distally ± geniculate, usually white. Anthers ovate, oblong to lanceolate, sometimes flattened toward apex; connective thick toward base, not projecting or with a 0.1–0.5 mm long projection below thecae, not bifurcate, without glands, yellow; thecae ovate to oblong in lateral view, sometimes slightly wrinkled, truncate at base, with a ± apical pore, usually light yellow to white. Ovary partially inferior, (2 or)3- or 4-locular, free portion of ovary rounded; placentation reduced axile to basal, not intruded. Style terete, attenuate toward apex, glabrous, rarely pubescent toward base, deflexed, white to light pink toward base; stigma punctiform. Berries subglobose with 20–24(–40) seeds, maturing purple to black. Seeds 1.3–2.7(–3.5) mm long, angular ovoid to pyramidal, appendage absent, raphe broad, usually deeply sunken, testa brown, usually smooth.

Distribution and ecology — Miconia sect. Liogieria contains 14 species from the Greater Antilles, where it is restricted to Cuba, Puerto Rico and in the Virgin Islands ( Tortola and St. Thomas). They occur from sea level to 1325 m, mostly in humid areas over serpentine soils.

Etymology — The sectional epithet honours Brother Alain (Dr. Henri Eugene Liogier de Sereys Allut, 1916– 2009). His dedication to the study of Antillean botany is reflected in his more than 100 scientific publications. He made thousands of herbarium collections in Cuba, Puerto Rico and Hispaniola, deposited mainly in Antillean herbaria. He authored about 600 taxa. Among these, 31 taxa of Melastomataceae from the Antilles stand out, of which five belong to this new section.