A revised circumscription and clarification of the taxonomic position of Miconia tetrazygioides (Melastomataceae: miconieae): an endemic to the Massif de la Hotte, Haiti

Abstract

An investigation of the type material of Miconia tetrazygioides indicates that this species, only known from the type gathering (Ekman H10684), is conspecific with the recently described M. cineana. The two differ vegetatively in no significant characters, showing only a slight difference in the range in variation of leaf width, shape, apex, and margin. The species has been poorly collected, with only a total of five gatherings known, and flowers have yet to be collected; it is endemic to the Massif de la Hotte, of Haiti, occurring in rak bwa from 930 to 1300 m. DNA nucleotide sequences indicate that the species is related to those of the M. decorticans clade, which have moderate-sized to large flowers with more or less constricted hypanthia/calyces. Traditionally, most species of the M. decorticans clade were included within Tetrazygia or Pachyanthus. In contrast the reproductive parts, e.g., calyx, hypanthium, ovary, and fruit, of M. tetrazygioides (incl. M. cineana) are quite small, and its hypanthia/calyces are not constricted, which is why it was originally circumscribed under Miconia rather than the other two mentioned genera.