363 



MELASTOMA laevigata. 



Smooth- leaved Melastoma* 



DECANDRIA MQNOGYNM. 



Nat. ord. Melastomje (recentius Mblastomace^e)* Jussiett gen* 3£8. 



MELASTOMA. Cat 1-phyllus, extus nudus, 4-5-6-dentatus, fruc- 

 tum vestiens. Pel. 4?-5~6. Slam* 8-10-12, omnind libera. Germ, Kbenmi- 

 Hacca sen onpsula molli putpa farcta, 4-5-locularis apice dehiscens. Sem, 

 numerosa, in pulpa nidulantia. Vcntenat in mem* de I'InstituL sc* phys* 

 1807.8. II. 



M. laevigata* foliis intcgerrimis laevigatis quinquenerviis ovato-oblongis 



teviusculis acuminatis: rnargine Iambus. Lin. sp. pL ed* 2. 559. 

 Melastoma laevigata. Sivartz obs. 176. Willd. sp. pt. 2. 593. Sweet kort* 



suburb, lond. 94*. 

 Melastoma fruticosa minor, foliis tenuibus, ovatis, racemis terminalibus. 



Browne jam. 212. 

 Grossularia fructu non spinoso, roalabathri folio oblongo, floribus herbaceis 



racemosis, fructu nigra, Sloane cat. 165. hist. % 140. 



Frutex humance altitudinis 9 erectus. Caulis ramosus, lavis. Rami erecti, 

 tereti'angulalii laves. Folia petiolata, decussato-opposita, lanceolato~ovata> 

 acuminata^ Integra* 5+nervia 7 nervosa^ venosa, utrinque glabra f tenuiora* in* 

 terdum subtler rugosiuscuta y subnitida> saturate viridia. Racemi terminates) 

 composite erecti> paniculati* ramis oppositis deciissatis > raraulis iiidem oppo~ 

 sitis; floribus catifertis, brevi&r pedicellatis, albis f parvis. CaL mperus, 

 5-dentatus: denies obtusi 9 breves. Petala 5, infra denies inserta, subsessilia, 

 subrotunda, Integra. Fil. 10 calyci infra petala adfixa 9 corolla longiora t 

 geniculata; antheras erecta?, apice perforata. Germ, subrotundum : stylus ) 



erectns, stamhzibus longior: stigma crasstusculum, truncatum* concavum. i 



Bacca subrotunda, primum albida, dein car idea et tandem atra evadit f < 



5-loctdaris 9 succo atroc&ruleo. Swartz loc. cit. / 



f 

 — i ■ I 



Said by Swartz to be a common plant in Jamaica. It J 



is however rare in our collections, into which, according to 

 Sweef* Hortus Suburbanite Londinensis, it was not intro- 

 duced till 1815. We find no mention of it in the Hortus j 

 Kewensis. The sample from which the drawing has been I 

 taken, was kindly sent by Sir Abraham Hume from 

 Wormleybury, where it flowered in the hothouse during the \ 

 late winter months. 



Mr. Brown, in his valuable notes on the Congo Her- , 



barium, has the following interesting notice concerning the j 



natural order to which our plant belongs, * J 



