764 MELASTOMACEyE. XXXVIII. Melastoma. XXXIX. Otantiiera. XL. Laciinopodium. XLI. Pleroma. 



together, sessile, terminal, glomerated, involucrated by lanceo- and ayOrjpa, aiitJiera, an anther; in reference to the anthers 



late bracteas ; calyx pilose, with the segments lanceolate and 



being furnished with 2 auricles at the base of each). 



Blume, 



acuminated. ^ . S. Native of Sierra Leone, on the banks of in hot. zeit. 1831. no, 28. p. 488. Melastoma species, Blum, 

 rivulets, in shady places. Petals red. Anthers yellow. Flowers bijdr. 1078. 

 8-5 in each cluster. 



Lm. sYST. Decdndriciy Monogynia. Tube of calyx ovate, 



Involucrated-^owexedi Melastoma. Shrub 1 to 2 feet. 



29 M. Afzelia'num (D. Don, L c.) the whole plant beset 

 with short stiff hairs ; branches erect and furrowed ; leaves 

 ovate, acuminated, 5-nerved as well as with 2 marginal nervules; 

 flowers secund, terminal, racemose or panicled ; calyx covered 

 with bristles, which are usually disposed in stellate fascicles, with 

 the segments linear and plumose at the apex. T? . S. Native of 



half adhering to 



the ovarium, beset with palmately ciliated 

 scales ; limb 5-cleft, deciduous. Petals 5, obovate. Stamens 

 10, equal. Anthers oblong-linear, a little arched, attenuated 

 upwards and opening by 1 pore, but biauriculate in front at the 

 base : their connectives indistinct. Free part of ovarium conical 



and bristly. Style filiform. Stigma a pruinose dot. Berry 

 pulpy, 5-celled. Seeds cochleate. — A shrub with terete, gla^ 



Sierra Leone, by the sides of rivulets, in shady places. Os- brous branches, outer branches rather tetragonal ; petioles and 



beckia Afzeliana, Smith, in Rees' cycl. vol. 25. 

 Afzelms's Melastoma. Shrub 1 to 2 feet. 



30 M. albiflorum; shrubby, branched ; rather pilose ; stems 

 and branches quadrangular; leaves elliptic, acute, 5-nerved, 

 beset with short pill on both surfaces, purplish beneath ; flowers 

 in terminal, crowded heads ; calyx glabrous. T2 • S. Native of 

 Sierra Leone. Petals white ; anthers yellow. The calyx very 

 smooth, that is, without any bristles or scales ; it is therefore 

 doubtful whether it is a true species of Melastoma. 



White-Jlowered Melastoma. Shrub 2 to 3 feet. 



31 M. capita'tum ; shrubby, branched ; branches quadrangu- 

 lar, pilose ; leaves ovate, acute, quite entire, 5-nerved, pilovse, yel- 

 lowish beneath ; calyx glabrous, nerved ; flowers sessile, dis- 

 posed in crowded heads. 



Petals red. Anthers yellow. Calyx smooth, like last species, 

 Capitate-RowcxQd Melastoma. Shrub 1 to 2 feet. 



nerves of leaves on the under surface beset with scattered, ad- 

 pressed bristles. Leaves elliptic-lanceolate, acuminated, almost 

 quite entire, 5-nerved, membranous, roughish, pale green, hut 

 with the nerves blush on the under surface. Panicle terminal, 

 trifkl, or trichotomous ; branches usually 3-flowered. Flowers 

 small, white, lateral ones bibracteate, middle one on a short 

 pedicel, bractless. 



1 O. Molucca'na (Blum. 1. c. p. 489.). ^ • S. Native of 

 Amboyna. Melastoma Moluccana, Blum, bijdr. p. 1078-- 

 Kumph. amb. 4. t, 71. middle figure. 



Molucca Otanthera. Shrub 1 to 2 feet. 



Cult, See Melastoma for culture and propagation, p. 764. 



XL. LACHNOPO^DIUM (from Xax^i?, lachne, down, and 



^nl;. ^!:Zt 1"?^^!!!^^..^.?.^ • '^^^C ^ohoQ, pouspodos, a foot ; in reference to the filaments or 



4- . ^ ^^4. . « footstalks of the antliers being girded by a croun of hairs at the 



base). Blum, in hot. zeit. 1831. no. 27. p. 477. in a note 



32 M.TnE.^raLiUM ; shrubby, erect, branched; branches quad- Meliitoma species. Link, eiotto. 



rangular ; leaves small, oval-lanceolate, acute, quite entire, ses- 

 sile, 3-nervcd ; flowers terminal, disposed In crowded heads. 

 Tj . S. Native of Sierra Leone, in the low lands, common. 

 Calyx smooth, like the 2 last species. 



Tea-leaved Melastoma. Shrub 5 to 10 feet. 



33 M. elonga'tum (D. Don, 1. c.) the whole plant beset with 

 stiflf hairs ; root black, tuberous ; tubers numerous from tlie 

 same neck, fusiform ; stems herbaceous, quadrangular, erect, 

 simple, several from the same root ; leaves small, elliptic, acute, 

 entire, 3-nerved, as well as with 2 lateral nervules ; flowers 



panicled; peduncles axillary and terminal, few-fl 



d ; calyx 



oblong, clothed with scales on the outside, which are terminated 



Lin. syst. Decandriay^ Monogynia. Tube of calyx ovate- 

 oblong, adhering to the ovarium ; limb 5-cleft, with the segments 

 linear-subulate. Petals 5, ovate-oblonfr obtuse. Stamens 10, 

 equal ; filaments girded by a crown of hairs at the base. An- 

 thers oblong, beaked. Style filiform ; stigma small, obtuse. 

 Capsule 5-celled, crowned by the calycine segments. Seeds 

 cochleate ? This genus comes very near Pleroma and Lasiandra. 



1 L. RU^BRO-LiMBATUM (Blum. 1. c.) branclics terete, clothed 

 with rufescent stiff hairs ; leaves opposite, petiolate, cordate- 

 oblong, acuminated, denticulately crenated, 5-nerved, wrinkled, 

 beset with rufous pili ; flowers cymose, axillary, contracted ; 



oDiong ciomeu wun scales on t.e outsu e, wn.cn are termmatec ^^^^^^^^ ^^^^^ ^^^ n.argined with red in the adult state. 



by a tuft of ha.r_at the apex : havmg the segments ohlong and . ^ g^ ^^^.^,^ ^^ ^j^/^^^^ ^^^^j^^^ Melastoma rubro-limb'^- 



membranous, bristly at the apex. 1/. S. Native of Sierra 

 Leone, plentiful in the low lands about Freetown, among grass, 

 flowering in great abundance in March and April. Nothing can 

 exceed the beauty of this plant when in flower, in its native 

 place of growth ; the flowers are large and vary from blue to 

 purple and white. Osbeckia grandiflora, Afz. mss. Smith, in 

 Rees' cycl. vol. ^5. 



Elongated-peduxiQleil Melastoma. Fl. March, April. Clt. 

 1823. PL 1 to ll foot. 



tum. Link, et Otto, abb. t. 41. 



Flowers white. 



Shrub 4 to 6 feet. 



84 M.i>Ecu'MBENs(Beauv. fl. dow. 1. p. 69. t. 61.) stem de- deciduous. Petals 5, obovate. 

 cumbent at the base, tetragonal ; leaves ovate-lanceolate, 3-nerved, 

 besides the lateral nervules, petiolate serrated ; flowers solitary, 

 terminal. T2 . S. Native of the western coast of Africa, on the 

 banks of the river Formosa, in humid parts of woods. Flowers 

 large, rose-coloured. Anthers 10, bisetose under the anthers. 

 Capsule 5-celhd. 



Decumbent Melastoma. Shrub dec. 



Cult. All the species of Melastoma are very showy when in 

 flower. A mixture of loam, peat, and sand suits them best ; 

 and young cuttings root readily, if planted in pots filled with 

 peat, and placed in heat, with a hand-glass over them. 



'm 



XXXIX. OTANTHE'RA (from ovq wrog^ ous olos, an ear, 



Red'limbed-calyxed Lachnopodiurh. 



Cult. For culture and propagation, see Melastoma^ p. 76*. 



XLL PLERO^MA (from irXrjpwfia, pleroma, fulness ; cellsof 

 capsule). D. Don, wern. soc. 4. p. 293. exclusive of Lasiandra 

 of D. C. prod. 3. p. 1 5 1 . 



Lin. syst. Decdndria, Monogijnia. Tube of calyx ovate, 

 when young often involved in 2 deciduous bracteas ; lobes 5, 

 " ' Stamens with glabrous fila- 



ments ; anthers nearly equal, elongated, arched at tlie basei 

 each furnished with a stipe-formed connective, which is la 

 riculate at the base. Ovarium adnate to the calyx, "J"' j?^^^ 

 the apex ; stigma a pruinose dot. Capsule baccate, 5-ce et 1 

 Seeds cochleate.— American shrubs, with the h^h\i oi Lasianara, 

 but differs in the filaments being glabrous, not villous, ana^^^ 

 the ovarium being adnate to the calyx, not free. Capsule 



cate, not dry. , ^-rW 



1 P. LEmr^LiUM (D.C. prod. 3. p. 151.) branches neany 

 terete, villous from stiffish somewhat adpressed hairs ^^"^V^ 

 leaves ovate-oblong, obtuse at the base, acutish at the ^X^^ 

 scabrous from scattered bristles above, 3-nerved, wit.i re\*^ 



edges; pedicels axillary, l-flowered, length of petioles ; 



brae 



