An official website of the United States government
Miconia tetrandra, a morphologically distinctive species restricted to the Caribbean region, is provided with an updated assessment of its phylogenetic position and taxonomy. A detailed description and nomenclatural treatment are provided, along with a consideration of phenology, distribution and habitat, and citation of specimens examined. The species is a member of the Caribbean clade, and it is unusual within Miconia in having flowers with only four stamens (alternating with the petals), with short, obovate, yellow anthers that each open by two large pores. Miconia tetrandra is morphologically quite divergent from, but is likely related to, a clade comprised by M. angustifolia, M. urbanii, and M. biflora, and these three species traditionally have been included within the genus Tetrazygia. In contrast, M. tetrandra usually has been placed within Miconia.
more »
« less
This content will become publicly available on November 26, 2025
Evaluation of the Hispaniolan endemic Graffenrieda ottoschulzii (Melastomataceae)
The putative Hispaniolan endemic Graffenrieda ottoschulzii (syn. = Miconia ottoschulzii) was evaluated morphologically and phylogenetically. Morphological data clearly place the species within Miconia, as the taxon is missing the dorsal appendage on the connective and capsule fruits of Graffenrieda but has the berry fruits of Miconia. Phylogenetically G. ottoschulzii was resolved as sister to the widespread and mostly South American, M. pyrifolia, and we conclude here that the two taxa are conspecific. We provide an updated description of M. pyrifolia and lectotypify the names M. ottoschulzii and M. pyrifolia.
more »
« less
- Award ID(s):
- 2002270
- PAR ID:
- 10626333
- Publisher / Repository:
- Botanical Research Institute of Texas
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Journal of the Botanical Research Institute of Texas
- Volume:
- 18
- Issue:
- 2
- ISSN:
- 1934-5259
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
More Like this
-
-
The florbella group of Miconia is composed of four species from the central Andes that are characterized by hollow stems inhabited by ants, and pleiostemonous flowers with a calyptrate calyx. The four species are M. inusitata, and the newly described here M. cava, M. florbella, and M. valenzuelana. The combination of pleistemonous flowers and calyptrate calyces suggests that these species could be placed in the former Conostegia, but at least three of the four species discussed here (M. florbella, M. inusitata and M. valenzuelana) do not belong in that clade and are more closely related to other species of Andean Miconia. All four species grow in undisturbed areas in low- to middle-elevation forests in the Andes.more » « less
-
Recientes colecciones de Melastomataceae en la Sierra de Neiba, en la República Dominicana han iluminado otra nueva especie del clado Caribeño de Miconia, descrita aquí como M. pegueroana. Por los domacios prominentes, flores 4-meras y escasa pubescencia, esta nueva especie parece pertenecer al subclado Calycodomatia (Miconia sect. Calycodomatia). Se compara esta nueva especie morfológicamente con su pariente putativo M. turbinata, de la cual comparte varios caracteres, y se provee placas fotográficas y una ilustración de la nueva especie. La relación posible entre M. turbinata y M. pegueroana sugiere una especiación alopátrica por dispersión por largas distancias entre cordilleras separadas, la Sierra de Bahoruco/Massif de la Selle de la isla sur y la Sierra de Neiba de la isla norte.more » « less
-
PremiseWe tested 25 classic and novel hypotheses regarding trait–origin, trait–trait, and trait–environment relationships to account for flora‐wide variation in life history, habit, and especially reproductive traits using a plastid DNA phylogeny of most native (96.6%, or 1494/1547 species) and introduced (87.5%, or 690/789 species) angiosperms in Wisconsin, USA. MethodsWe assembled data on life history, habit, flowering, dispersal, mating system, and occurrence across open/closed/mixed habitats across species in the state phylogeny. We used phylogenetically structured analyses to assess the strength and statistical significance of associations predicted by our models. ResultsIntroduced species are more likely to be annual herbs, occupy open habitats, have large, visually conspicuous, hermaphroditic flowers, and bear passively dispersed seeds. Among native species, hermaphroditism is associated with larger, more conspicuous flowers; monoecy is associated with small, inconspicuous flowers and passive seed dispersal; and dioecy is associated with small, inconspicuous flowers and fleshy fruits. Larger flowers with more conspicuous colors are more common in open habitats, and in understory species flowering under open (spring) canopies; fleshy fruits are more common in closed habitats. Wind pollination may help favor dioecy in open habitats. ConclusionsThese findings support predictions regarding how breeding systems depend on flower size, flower color, and fruit type, and how those traits depend on habitat. This study is the first to combine flora‐wide phylogenies with complete trait databases and phylogenetically structured analyses to provide powerful tests of evolutionary hypotheses about reproductive traits and their variation with geographic source, each other, and environmental conditions.more » « less
-
Human-induced ecological cascades: Extinction, restoration, and rewilding in the Galápagos highlandsOceanic islands support unique biotas but often lack ecological redundancy, so that the removal of a species can have a large effect on the ecosystem. The larger islands of the Galápagos Archipelago once had one or two species of giant tortoise that were the dominant herbivore. Using paleoecological techniques, we investigate the ecological cascade on highland ecosystems that resulted from whalers removing many thousands of tortoises from the lowlands. We hypothesize that the seasonal migration of a now-extinct tortoise species to the highlands was curtailed by decreased intraspecific competition. We find the trajectory of plant community dynamics changed within a decade of the first whaling vessels visiting the islands. Novel communities established, with a previously uncommon shrub, Miconia , replacing other shrubs of the genera Alternanthera and Acalypha . It was, however, the introduction of cattle and horses that caused the local extirpation of plant species, with the most extreme impacts being evident after c. 1930. This modified ecology is considered the natural state of the islands and has shaped subsequent conservation policy and practice. Restoration of El Junco Crater should emphasize exclusion of livestock, rewilding with tortoises, and expanding the ongoing plantings of Miconia to also include Acalypha and Alternanthera .more » « less
