MELASTOMACE^. XIX. Spennera. XX. Microlicia. 



743 



minated, serrulated, ciliated, 5-nerved ; flowers sessile, along upper ones acute ; flowers terminal, on short pedicels,' solitary ; 



glabrous tube, and 4 hardly manifest lobes. 

 BraziL 



the branches of the dichotomous panicle ; calyx with an inflated, 



1^.? S. Nativeof 

 Rhexia sileniflora, BonpL rhex.p. 130. t. 48. Flowers 

 small, white. Petals ovate, obliquely mucronate. Capsule un- 

 known. This and the preceding species have been placed in 

 this genus from their habit, the capsules being unknown. 

 Catohfly-flowered Spennera. PL 1 to 2 feet. 



• • « 



Flowers decandrous^ 



lobes of calyx subulate, longer than the tube ; capsule 3-valved. 

 0. B. S. Native of Guiana, in marshes. Melastoma trivalvis, 

 Aubl.guian. 1. p. 406. t. 155. f. b. Rhexia trivalvis, Vahl. 

 eclog, 1. p. 38. Rhexia brevifolia, Rich. herb. Upper branches 

 rather panicled. Petals ovate, length of the lobes of the calyx, 

 white. Capsule ovate. Seeds cochleate. 

 • Short-leaved Microlicia. PI. 1 to 2 feet. 

 2 M, biva'lvis (D, C. 1. c.) glabrous ; stem straight, tetra- 



17 S. PENDULiFOLiA (D. C. 1. c.) leaves cordate, oval-Ian- ^^"''% ^'"'^^ ^r^^^^^d at the apex ; leaves oval, obtuse, 3- 



1 



ceolate, S-nerved, denticulated, pendulous, quite glabrous ; 

 panicle terminal, much branched ; flowers decandrous, minute ; 

 capsule 3-celled. % . S. Native of Guiana. Rhexia pendu- 

 lifolia, Bonpl. nav. p. 68. t. 26. Calyx with an ovate-roundish 

 tube and 5 linear lobes. Petals oval. Connectives of anthers 

 not auricled. Capsule globose. Habit of S. aqudlica. 

 Pendulous-leaved Spennera. PI. | to 1 foot. 



18 S. GLANDULOSA (D. C. 1. c.) Icavcs oval, crenulated, quite 

 glabrous on both surfaces, 3-5-nerved : flowers usually solitary, 

 terminal, and axillary, small ; capsule 3-celled. "^ . S. Na- 

 tive of Guiana. Rh6xia glandulosa, Bonpl. nav. p. 70. t. 27. 

 Calyx with a subglobose tube : and linear-oblong lobes, which 

 are much longer than the tube. Petals ovate, white, with 2 spots 

 at the base of each. Filaments red. Connectives of anthers 

 biglandular. 



Glandular- stamewed Spennera. Shrub ^ to 1 foot. 



19 S.? ch^'todon (D. C. 1. c.) shrubby; branches terete, 

 smoothish ; petioles ciliated with long hairs in front; leaves 

 oblong, acuminated, membranous, somewhat serrulated, gla-. 

 orous, triple-nerved ; panicles axillary, divaricate, capillary ; 

 calyx pilose, urceolate, narrowed at the neck : having its lobes 

 setaceous ; capsule 3-4-celled. T2 • S. Native of Brazil, in 

 dense woods, in the province of Rio Negro. Melastoma cW- 

 fodon, Schrank et Mart. mss. Flowers small. Leaves 4-6 

 nches long. 



ffair-toothed-calyxed Spennera. Shrub | to 1 foot. 



Cultn Pretty little plants, native of marshes and bogs. The 

 species grow best in a mixture of peat and sand, and the pots in 

 ^vhich they are grown should be kept in pans of water. The greater 

 part are annuals, and even those called shrubby will not survive 

 f^ore than a season in our stoves ; therefore they are all to be 

 '^creased by seeds. The seeds should be sown in pots filled 

 ^Hh the same kind of mould recommended for the plants, placing 

 ^nem in a hot-bed, where they should be kept rather moist ; and 

 ^hen the plants are coming into flower they should be removed 

 "■om the hot-bed to shelves in the stove. 



XX. MiCROLrCIA (from fnicpos, micros, small, and T^Xuua, 

 f''«^'a, stature; all the plants contained in this genus are humble 

 jn stature). D. Don, in wern. soc. mem. 4. p. 301. D. C. prod. 

 3' p. 117. 



I^m. SYST. Decandriay Monogynia. Calyx with a globose 

 <*J'obovate tube, and 5 subulate permanent lobes. Petals 5, 

 ^oovate. Anthers alternately dissimilar, ovate, ending in short 

 ^^aks, opening by 1 pore; having their connectives drawn out into 

 3 simple blunt spur at the articulation, those in the longer anthers 

 ^g» and those in the shorter anthers short. Capsule dry, 3- 

 *^el'ed, 3-valved, but in a few 2-celled and 2-valved. Seeds 

 F^chleate.—Herbs or subshrubs, natives of Brazil and Guiana, 

 y tnarshes and bogs, and all humid places. Stems branched. 

 i;^aves sessile, quite entire, linear or oval, hardly 3-nerved. 

 ^lowers purple, terminal or axillary, pedicellate, usually solitary. 



• 



Annual plants 



1 M. BREVIFOLIA (D. C. 1. c.) glabrous ; stem straight, tetra- 

 g<MJal ; leaves oblong, quite entire, 3-nerved, lower ones obtuse, 



nerved, quite entire ; flowers terminal, solitary, on short pedi- 

 cels ; lobes of calyx subulate, longer than the tube ; capsule 2- 

 valved. ©. B. S. Nativeof Guiana, in marshes. Melastoma 

 bivalvis, Aubl. guian. 1. p. 40C. t. 155. f. a. Rhexia bivalvis, 

 Vahl. eclog. 1. p. 38. Corolla white. 



TrvO'Valved Microlicia. PI. \ foot. 



3 M. inunda'ta (D. C. I. c.) erect ; stems tetragonal, gla- 

 brous at the base, but beset with glandular hairs above, as well 

 as the pedicels and calyxes ; leaves ovate, obtuse, 3-nerved, 

 entire, glabrous, upper ones clothed with glandular down ; 

 flowers solitary, pedicellate ; tube of calyx ovate, rather shorter 

 than the lobes, which are linear-lanceolate. ©. B. S. Native of 

 Brazil, in watery places. Rhexia inundata, Schrank et Mart. 

 mss. Capsule 2-valved. Seeds cochleate. Perhaps sufficiently 

 distinct from 3/. bivalvis. 



Inundated Microlicia. PI. 4 foot. 



7 



* « 



Herbaceous, perennial, or suffruticose plants* 



4 M. LiMNOBios (D. C, 1, c.) herbaceous, rooting at the base, 

 hairy from glandular bristles ; leaves roundish, sessile, rather 

 cordate at the base, quite entire, smoothish ; flowers pedi- 

 cellate ; calyx with an obovate tube, and 5 linear lobes ; capsule 

 2 ox 3-celled. 1/. B. S. Native of Brazil, in water. Rhexia 

 limnobios, Schrank et Mart. mss. Flowers red. 



Lake-living Microlicia. PI. \ foot. 



5 M. ALSiNEFOLiA (D. C. 1. c) herbaccous, ascending, a little 

 branched ; stems tetragonal, hispid ; leaves on short petioles, 

 rather orbicular, somewhat cordate at the base, acutish at the 

 apex, 5-nerved, almost quite entire, ciliated, rather pilose on both 

 surfaces, appearing pitted from dots on tlie upper surface when 

 examined by a lens ; flowers solitary, terminating the branch- 

 lets ; calyx rather hairy, with an ovate tube, and 5 linear lobes, 

 which are longer than the tube; anthers refuse, dissimilar. If. 

 B. S. Native of Brazil, in elevated places in the province of 

 Minas Geraes. Rhexia alsinef61ia, Mart, et Schrank, mss. 

 Petals obovate, purplish. Anthers 10, the 5 longest having 

 long connectives, and the 5 shortest having short connectives, 

 all 2-lobed at the articulation. 



Chickweed-leaved Microlicia. PI. ^ foot. 



6 M. puNCTATissiMA (D. C. proJ. 3. p. 118.) plant somewhat 

 herbaceous, much branched, hispid from glandular pili in every 

 part ; branches tetragonal ; leaves peliolate, ovate, acute, cili- 

 ately subserrated, S-nerved, appearing pitted troxn dots on the 

 wpper surface when examined by a lens; flowers solitary, axil- 

 lary, and terminal, on short pedicels ; calyx with a globose 

 tube, equal in length to the linear lobes ; anthers dissimilar. If. 

 B. S. Native of Brazil, in moist meadows in the province of 

 Minas Geraes. Rhexia punctatissima. Mart* et Schrank, mss. 

 Allied to 3f. alsinefolia. Capsule ovate, 3-celled, 3-valved. 

 Seeds obovate, truncate at one end. 



/3, angustifblia 



entire. 



Muck-dotted-haved Microlicia. PI. j root. 



7 M. recu'rva (D. C. 1. c.) plant herbaceous, branched, besef 

 with glandular pili in every part ; stem and branches tetragonal; 

 leaves petidtftte, ovate, somewhat crenated, deflexed, acutish, 3- 



