Blakea

Blakea is a genus of a hemiepiphyte flowering plant in the Melastomataceae family and order Myrtales (Almeda, 2000). Blakea can also be terrestrial, epiphytic, or even strangler, and can take the growth forms of lianas, shrubs, and small to emergent trees while intermediate forms such as lianescent shrubs can occur (Pennyes & Judd 2011). It is estimated that there is approximately 100 species in the genus, in the Neotropics (Lumer, 1983). Their center of diversity is known to be in the Choco-Andean region of South America and the mountains of Panama and Costa Rica (Penneys & Judd 2011). This sun-loving genus has been found in various levels in the canopy (Almeda, 2000). Blakea are known to have white to pink axial flowers with green petals (Luther, 1983).There are many different species of bees that pollinate the axial flowers (Almeda, 2000).Birds eat and disperse the red fleshy fruit of Blakea trees (Almeda, 2000). Blakea height can range up to 35 meters and have a trunk diameter of 1 m (Penneys & Judd 2011).

This genus is Neotropical, occurring on wet mountane forest areas, but can be can found in the lowlands (Almeda, 2000).Specifically this species can be found from Mexico and the West Indies to Bolivia and Brazil (Lumer, 1983).Northwestern South America is the hotspot for species richness of this taxon (Lumer, 1983).

Blakea is a sun-loving genus that grows in various levels in the canopy (Almeda, 2000).Species in this genus are often found growing on fallen logs or tree stumps in light gaps caused by tree falls or human clearing (Almeda, 2000).

Blakea tends to have thick leaves and 3 to 5 nerved leaves with secondary veins (Lumer, 1983).There are some Blakea spp that have tertiary veins spaced 3.3 mm or less apart but there are some species with more widely spaced veins (Penneys & Judd 2011). This species has axial flower that can either be white, pink, magenta, red or a variation of these colors (Lumer, 1983).The flower has 12 stamens that are symmetrical and glabrous (Lumer, 1983). The petals separate from one another when completely expanded and they never conceal the stamens but rather are angled upwardly around the stamens in a circular formation (Lumer, 1983).Anthers are oval shaped with two separated pores that release pollen (Lumer, 1983).The connective appendages on the anthers are uniformly dorsal, simple, and mostly basal (Penneys & Judd 2011).The anthers are primarily short and even though they are mostly oval shaped they can also be oblong or elliptic (Penneys & Judd 2011). There are two pairs of bracts at the base of the flower that is used as support (Lumer, 1983).The petals have a green color with a purple or reddish color at the base (Lumer, 1983).

Blakea is mainly dispersed by birds (Almeda, 2000).The birds do not eat the entire fruit but rather just pecks at it.The seeds and inner part of the fruit sticks to the beak of the dispersing bird.After the bird is done eating the fruit, it will fly away and land on a tree.Then from there, the bird will clean off it’s beak by rubbing it against a branch on the tree and the seeds will be dispersed (Almeda, 2000).

Some species of Blakea have flowering period of 6-8 months (Almeda, 2000).The start and finish of a flowering season will vary between species as much as two months from plant to plant within a species (Almeda, 2000).However, B. grandiflora and B. tuberculata have short blooming periods during the wet season (Almeda, 2000). B. grandiflora blooms from August to October while B. tuberculata blooms from June-July (Lumer, 2000). The flowers have a sweet scent during the day but lack nectar (Lumer, 2000).

The fruits of this species are fleshy and have a red coloration (Almeda, 2000).Each fruit contains approximately one thousand seeds (Almeda, 2000).The inner part of the fruit possesses a sticky characteristic (Almeda, 2000).

The main pollinator of Blakea species are bees (Almeda, 2000).There are many different species of bees that pollinate these trees including Xylocopa.sp., Epicharis sp., Melipona fasciata, two species of Bombus, two species of Trigona, and three species of Eulaema (Almeda, 2000). Bees pollinate the plants by bending over and aligning on the anthers while vibrating their indirect flight muscles (Almeda, 2000).The vibration of their muscles causes pollen to be released from the anther pores (Lumer, 1983).Pollen is released through minute pores at the tips of the anthers and it is released directly onto the front of the bee, allowing the transfer of pollen to the next flower (Lumer, 2000). There are some species that does not fit all of these descriptions such as Blakea chlorantha. B. pendulifora, and B. austin-smithii (Lumer & Schoer 1986).These few species of Blakea have nectar, small green bell shaped flowers, and are pollinated by rodents that visit the flowers at night for nectar (Lumer, 1983). The anthers of these rodent pollinated flowers are purple (Lumer 1980). The flowers of B. chlorantha release pollen when the rodent applies pressure with their tongue to the anthers or the petals (Lumer, 1983). Rodent pollinators regularly visit the plants, beginning their visits at dusk and continuing through the night during the entire flowering period (Lumer 1980).

Blakea is a genus of flowering plants in the family Melastomataceae. There are about 189 species distributed from Mexico to Bolivia and the Antilles. They are climbers, shrubs, and trees, some epiphytic.

Species, accepted as of March 2021, include:

Blakea acostae Wurdack Blakea acuminata (Wurdack) Penneys & Judd Blakea adscendens (E.Cotton & Matezki) Penneys & Judd Blakea aeruginosa Standl. Blakea albertiae (Wurdack) Penneys & Almeda Blakea allotricha L.Uribe Blakea alternifolia Gleason Blakea amabilis Cogn. Blakea amplifolia (Almeda) Penneys & Almeda Blakea andreana Cogn. Blakea anomala Donn.Sm. Blakea arboricola (Almeda) Penneys & Almeda Blakea argentea Gleason Blakea asplundii (Wurdack) Penneys & Judd Blakea attenboroughii Penneys, named after the naturalist and television presenter David Attenborough[1] Blakea austin-smithii Standl. Blakea barbata (Gleason) Penneys & Judd Blakea bocatorena Kriebel & D.Santam. Blakea brachyura Gleason Blakea bracteata Gleason Blakea brasiliensis Cogn. Blakea brenesii (Standl.) Penneys & Almeda Blakea brevibractea (Gleason) Penneys & Judd Blakea brunnea Gleason Blakea bullata (E.Cotton & Matezki) Penneys & Judd Blakea calcarata (L.Uribe & Matezki) Penneys & Judd Blakea calophylla (Almeda) Penneys & Almeda Blakea calycosa Gleason Blakea calycularis (Naudin) Penneys & Almeda Blakea calyptrata Gleason Blakea campii Wurdack Blakea castanedae (Wurdack) Penneys & Judd Blakea chlorantha Almeda Blakea ciliata Markgr. Blakea clavata Penneys & Judd Blakea clusiifolia Gleason Blakea coloradensis Almeda Blakea cordata (Gleason) Penneys & Almeda Blakea costaricensis Umaña & Almeda Blakea crassifolia Almeda Blakea crinita Gleason Blakea cuatrecasasii Gleason Blakea cuneata Standl. Blakea cuprina Penneys & Judd Blakea cutucuensis (Wurdack) Penneys & Judd Blakea darcyana Almeda Blakea dimorphophylla (Almeda) Penneys & Almeda Blakea discolor (Hochr.) Penneys & Judd Blakea dodsonorum (Wurdack) Penneys & Almeda Blakea droseropila Penneys Blakea durandiana Cogn. ex T.Durand & Pittier Blakea echinata Almeda & Penneys Blakea elliptica (Gleason) Almeda Blakea eplingii (Wurdack) Penneys & Judd Blakea eriocalyx Wurdack Blakea fasciculata Gleason Blakea ferruginea (Gleason) Penneys & Judd Blakea fissicalyx L.Uribe Blakea florifera Gleason Blakea foliacea Gleason Blakea formicaria Wurdack Blakea fragrantissima (Almeda) Penneys & Almeda Blakea fuchsioides Almeda Blakea gerardoana (Almeda) Penneys & Almeda Blakea glaberrima (Triana) Penneys & Judd Blakea glabrescens Benth. Blakea glandulosa Gleason Blakea gracilis Hemsl. Blakea granatensis Naudin Blakea grandiflora Hemsl. Blakea gregii Almeda Blakea grisebachii Cogn. Blakea guatemalensis Donn.Sm. Blakea hammelii Almeda Blakea hammettiorum Almeda Blakea harlingii Wurdack Blakea henripittieri (Cogn.) Penneys & Almeda Blakea herrerae Almeda Blakea hexandra (Almeda) Penneys & Almeda Blakea hirsuta O.Berg ex Triana Blakea hirsutissima (J.F.Macbr.) Wurdack Blakea hispida Markgr. Blakea holtonii Hochr. Blakea horologica Penneys & Judd Blakea hydraeformis Wurdack Blakea incompta Markgr. Blakea induta (Markgr.) Penneys & Judd Blakea inflata (Triana) Penneys & Judd Blakea insignis (Triana) Penneys & Judd Blakea intricata (Almeda) Penneys & Almeda Blakea involvens Markgr. Blakea jativae Wurdack Blakea killipii (Wurdack) Penneys & Judd Blakea laevigata D.Don Blakea lanuginosa Wurdack Blakea latifolia D.Don Blakea lentii (Almeda) Penneys & Almeda Blakea lindeniana Triana Blakea litoralis L.O.Williams Blakea longibracteata Cogn. Blakea longiloba (Wurdack) Penneys & Judd Blakea longipes L.Uribe Blakea longisepala (Gleason) Penneys & Judd Blakea macbrydei (Wurdack) Penneys & Judd Blakea madisonii Wurdack Blakea maguirei (Wurdack) Penneys & Judd Blakea maurofernandeziana (Cogn.) Penneys & Almeda Blakea mcphersonii (Almeda) Penneys & Almeda Blakea megaphylla Wurdack Blakea mexiae Gleason Blakea micrantha Almeda Blakea modica (Wurdack) Penneys & Judd Blakea monticola J.R.Johnst. Blakea mortoniana (Wurdack) Penneys & Judd Blakea multiflora D.Don Blakea muricata (Lozano) Penneys & Judd Blakea nangaritzana D.Fernández, C.Ulloa & Penneys Blakea nareliana Bussmann Blakea nodosa Wurdack Blakea oldemanii Wurdack Blakea orientalis Gleason Blakea ovalis D.Don Blakea paleacea Gleason Blakea paludosa Gleason Blakea parasitica (Aubl.) D.Don Blakea parvifolia Gleason Blakea pascoensis (Wurdack) Penneys & Judd Blakea pauciflora Gleason Blakea pectinata Penneys Blakea penduliflora Almeda Blakea perforata Almeda Blakea pichinchensis Wurdack Blakea pilosa Gleason Blakea platypoda Gleason Blakea pluvialis (Standl.) Penneys & Almeda Blakea podagrica Triana Blakea polyantha Wurdack Blakea portentosa Wurdack Blakea princeps Cogn. Blakea pulverulenta Vahl Blakea punctulata (Triana) Wurdack Blakea purpusii Brandegee Blakea pyxidanthus Triana Blakea quadrangularis Triana Blakea quadriflora Gleason Blakea repens D.Don Blakea rosea D.Don Blakea rostrata O.Berg ex Triana Blakea rotundifolia D.Don Blakea sawadae J.F.Macbr. Blakea scarlatina Almeda Blakea schlimii (Naudin) Triana Blakea schultzei Markgr. Blakea sessilifolia (Triana) Penneys & Judd Blakea setosa (Triana) Penneys & Judd Blakea spruceana Cogn. Blakea squamigera L.Uribe Blakea standleyana J.F.Macbr. Blakea standleyi (L.O.Williams) Penneys & Almeda Blakea stellaris Gleason Blakea stephanochaeta (Naudin) Penneys & Judd Blakea steyermarkii (Wurdack) Penneys & Judd Blakea stipulacea Wurdack Blakea storkii (Standl.) Almeda Blakea suaveolens (Almeda) Penneys & Almeda Blakea subbarbata (Wurdack) Penneys & Judd Blakea subconnata O.Berg ex Triana Blakea subpanduriformis E.Cotton & Matezki Blakea subscabrula (Triana) Penneys & Judd Blakea subsessiliflora (Wurdack) Penneys & Judd Blakea subvaginata Wurdack Blakea superba (Naudin) Penneys & Judd Blakea tapantiana Umaña & Almeda Blakea tetramera (Almeda) Penneys & Almeda Blakea tetroici (Wurdack) Penneys & Judd Blakea toachiensis (Wurdack) Penneys & Judd Blakea trianae (Cogn.) Penneys & Judd Blakea trinervia L. Blakea truncata Gleason Blakea tuberculata Donn.Sm. Blakea unguiculata Almeda & Penneys Blakea urbaniana Cogn. Blakea vallensis Wurdack Blakea venusta Kriebel, Almeda & A.Estrada Blakea verrucosa (Wurdack) Penneys & Judd Blakea villosa Cogn. Blakea watsonii (Cogn.) Penneys & Almeda Blakea wilburiana Almeda Blakea wilsoniorum Almeda