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MELASTOxMACE^E. .XLL Pleroma. XLIL Diplostegium. XLIIL Aciotis. XLIV. CfiirriiADENiA. 



765 



teas 2 under each flower, ovate, villous on the outside and 



brown inside. Pp • S. 

 Desr. in Lam. diet. 

 pressed hn'stles ; 



4. 



P- 



lobes 5, 



Stamens with smooth filaments. 

 rather bristly. 



Native of Peru. Melastoma ledifolia, 

 48. 



Tube of calyx beset with ad- 

 obtuse. Petals purple, ciliated. 



Free part of ovarium conical, 



Ledum- leaved Pleroma. Shrub. 



Melastoma aspera, Pav. in herb. Lamb. ' Melastoma Mexicana, 

 D. Don, in mem. wern. soc. 4. p. 290. 

 .. Mexican Pleroma. Sh. 2 to 3 feet. 



Cult. For culture and propagation see Meldstomay p. 764. 



XLIL DIPLOSTE^GIUM (from SiTrXooc. Jiphos, double, and 



arcyoc, ^/eo-o^, a covering ; in reference to the calyx, which is 



• 2 P. la'xum(D.C. 1. c.) branches nearly terete, and are as well inclosed in a double calyptra or covering). D, Don, in mem. 

 as the petioles beset with spreading bristles ; leaves ovate, rather " '^ '" 



cordate, ending in a short acumen, ciliately serrated, beset with 

 scattered nearly adpressed bristles on the upper surface, but 

 villously tomentose beneath ; peduncles nearly opposite, axil- 

 lary, long, bifid at the apex: branches 3 -flowered ; calyx very 

 villous. 



^ . S. Native of Peru. Melastoma laxa, Desr. in 



Lam. diet. 4. p. 41. Tube of calyx ovate; lobes 5, lanceo- 



Iate"linear,_about equal in length to the tube. 



ciliated. 



Filaments glabrous. Anthers long, 

 beaked, each furnished with a long connective. 



Petals purple, 

 rather falcate, 

 Fruit baccate. 



wern. soc. 4. p. 29G. D. 0. prod. 3. p. 152. 



Lin, syst. Decdndria, Monogynut. Limb of calyx 5-cleft, 

 penuaneiit, inclosed in a double cucullate hisj)id calyptra. Pe- 

 tals 5. Stamens 10; anthers nearly equal, biauriculatc at the 



base. Ovarium? Stigma a pruinose dot. Capi»ule baccate, 

 5-celled. Seeds unknown. — -A Brazilian slirub. Stem terete, 

 densely beset with white pili. Leaves ovate, acute, quite cntirCi 

 petiolate, 5- nerved, clothed with silky pili beneath, but sca- 

 brous above. Peduncles terminal, trichotomous, 3-flowered. 

 Flowers lar^e, red. 



Loose Pleroma. Shrub 3 to 6 feet, 



3 P. TRicHo'poDUM (D. C. 1. c.) branches from compressed to 

 tetragonal, rather hispid ; petioles hispid from villi ; leaves oval- 

 oblong, acuminated at both ends, 3-nerved, somewhat denticu- 



I D. cane'scens (D. Don, I, c.) 



Sh. 



h 



Native of Brazil. 



Canesccnt Diplostegium. 



Cult. For culture and propagation see Mvldsfoma^ p. 7G4. 



XLIIL ACIO'TIS (from avic* fl^'v, a point, and ovc wtoq^ ous 



T hardly pubescent above, pale beneath, and clothed with o/c^, an ear; in reference to the petals, which are obli(iuelyawned). 

 aapressed bristles, especially on the nerves; flowers solitary m jy p^^^^ i,^ ^^^^ ,,,^.^„^ ^^^^ 4^ p, 090. I). C. prod. 3. p. 152. 



Lin. syst. Octandriay 3Ionogynia. 'i'ube of calyx globose, 

 fleshy; limb coarctatc, permanent, 4-lobcd; petals 1, ohli(jucly 



"le axils of the upper leaves, and on the tops of the branches, 



pedicellate ; bracteas 2, oval, involving the calyx, which 

 Justly. ' l2 • S. Native of Brazil. Habit of Lasidndra, but 

 differs from that genus, in the stamens being glabrous, and in the 

 ovarium being adnate to the calyx. 



tiairy-petioled Pleroma. Sh. 4 to 6 feet. 



4 P. vimi'neum (D. Don, in mem. soc. wern. 4, p. 293.) leaves 

 ovate-lanceolate, acute, petiolate, and are as well as the branches 

 scabrous, but canescent beneath ; calyx covered with glandular 

 iiairs : havincr the segments lanceolate and mucronate. ^ . S. Na- 

 "ve ot Brazil. Rhexia viminea, D. Don, in hot. reg. t. GG4. 

 Spreng. syst. 2. p. 302. Flowers purple. Filaments smooth. 



Twiggy Pleroma. FL Ju. Auir. Clt. 182L Sh. 6 feet. 



awned at the apex. 



Stamens 8, with long connectives, and as if 



Anthers erect, naked at tlie 



lied. Seeds cochleate. 



Leaves petiolate, 



they were jointed in the middle. 



base. Ovarium ? Capsule baccate, 4- 



A West Lidian, smoothish, green, suffruticose plant, with nu- 

 merous, erect, tetragonal, branched stems, 

 elliptic-oblong, acuminated, 3-nerved, purple beneath, and of a 

 deep shining green above. Flowers small, red, disposed in spicate 

 racemes. Berry globose, purple, edible, with a grateful acid taste. 



, . , . Native of the 



Island of St. Vincent. 



. 5 P. heteroma'lla (D. Don, 1. c.) leaves oval, cordate, pe- gi^^ j f^^t^ 



1 A. DISCOLOR (D. Don, 1. c. p. 301.) ^ . S. 



Khexia bicolor, Anders, in herb. Lamb. 

 Aciotis, Fl. July, Sept. Clt. 181 G. 



Two-colour edAc^soii 



Isolate, beset with flocky wool beneath ; calycine segments ob- 

 'ong, obtuse ; petals obcordate. ^ . S. Native of Brazil. 



Cult. For culture and propagation se^ Melastoma ^ p. 7C4. 



*Ie]astoma heteromalla, D. Don, in bot. reg. t. 644. Sims, bot. XLIV. CENTRADE'NIA (from «.'r()o,', kentron, a spur, 



Filaments short, glabrous, conniving. Anthers and a^;?^, m/ew, a gland ; in reference to the gland-formed spur 

 arched at the base. " Petals 5-6, purplish violet. Calyx pubes- of the smaller stamens). Rhexia, nov. gou. Cham, et Schlecht. 



mag. 



2337. 



cent 



; teeth deciduous. 



tieteromallous Pleroma. 

 to 6 feet. 



Fl. July, Sept. Clt. 1819. Sh. 4 



6 P.viLLosuM (D. C. prod. 3. p. 152.) branches terete, and 

 ^J*^, as well as the leaves, villous beneath; leaves ovate, acute, 

 Jl^ite entire, villous, 5-nerved ; flowers terminal, few, peduncu- 

 ^^^\ petals obovate, retuse, mucronate; stamens 5 fertile and 

 5^ sterile. ^ , S. Native of South America. Melastoma vil- 

 'osum, Sims, bot. mag. t. 2630. 

 otAubl, Filaments glabrous. 



f^illous Pleroma. 



Lodd. bot. cab. t. 853. but not 



Fl. May, Ju. Clt. 1820. Sh. 3 to 4 k. 

 7 P, ? oiFFU SUM (D. C. prod. 3. p. 152.) stems tetragonal, 

 ^lecumbent, much branched,^ pilose : leaves ovate, acute, 3- 

 ^erved, serrated, pilose beneath ; flowers axillary, solitary, pedi- 

 cellate ; calyx globose, nearly naked : having lanceolate, mucro- 

 5?te segments. ^2 . S. Native of Porto Rico. Melastoma 

 <l'ffusa, Pav. ex D. Don, mem. wern. soc. 4. p. 291. Flowers 

 purple. 



diffuse Pleroma. Sh. decumbent. 

 , 8 P-? MexicVnum (D. C. prod. 3. p. 152.) stem erect, 

 ^ranched, pilose ; leaves lanceolate, acuminated, 3-nerved, pilose 

 ^^ both surfaces- flowers 1-2, axillary or terminal; calyx 



in Linnasa. 5. p. 567. 



Lin. SYST. Ocldndria^ Monogyn'ta, Cal^x rather tetragonal, 



campanulate, membranous, 8-nerveJ, rather pilose ; limb 4- 

 toothed ; teeth broad, triangular, acute. Petals obovate, Sta- 

 mens 8, alternately smaller ; fliaments glabrous ; anthers open- 

 ing by 1 pore, elliptic, those o( the longer stamens drawn out 

 each into an emarginate cuneated co])per-colourcd spur or con- 

 nective, but the spurs of the smaller stamens are gland-formed. 

 Style short, smooth, crowned by a subcapitatc stigma. Ovarium 

 free, crowned by one series of short bristle? at the base ot the 

 style. Capsule within the calyx 4-valved, i-celled, at length 

 separating from the axis along with the dissepiments. Seeds 

 numerous, minute, clavaiely elliptic, echinatcd, brown : with a 



terminal dot-formed hardly coloured hylum. 



branches. 



- surfaces; ..^ — , 



PJose, nith linear acute segments. 



Ij . S. Native of Mexico. 



An annual, 

 branched herb, with tetragonal pilose branches. Leaves oppo- 

 site each other, unequal in size, one of which bemg almost abor- 

 tive Large leaves, oblong-lanceolate, acute, on short petioles, 

 unequal-sided, quite entire, ciliated, triplc-ncrvcd, pale beneath, 

 2 inches long, and 5 lines broad. Racemes few-flowered, axd- 

 larv. Flowers on longish pedicels, small, white. 



1 C. iN^.QU^tATERALis. ©• S. Native of Mexico, m 

 Cuesu Grande de Chiconquiaco. Rhexia inatquaflaterihs, Cham. 



et Schlecht. he. 



L#_T-**f "T 1" r _ 



