772 



MELASTOMACEiE. XLVIII. Clidemia. 



ovate or oblong, acuminated, obtuse at the base, and a little pressed silky villi ; leaves on short petioles, ovate, acuminated, 



ciliated ; nerves 5-7, somewhat feathered ; panicle terminal, obtuse at the base, crenated, somewrhat ciliated, quintuple- 



with opposite divaricate branches ; calyx globose, very hairy, nerved, beset with scattered hairs between the nerves ; thyrse 



with 5 acute lobes, but the points being deciduous they at length racemose, terminal, much shorter than the leaves, with crowded, 



become obtuse. J} • S. Native of Brazil, in woods, in the pro- 3-flowered branchlets : calyx densely clothed with hairs ; petals 



vince of St. Paul, Melastoma apterum, Schrank et Mart, mss. oblong, obtuse. Tj . S. Native of Cayenne, in shady woods. 



The whole plant is brown when dried. 



Wingless Clidemia. Shrub 2 to 3 ft. • 



53 C. purpura'scens (D. C. 1. c.) branchlets terete, and are 

 as well as the panicles and petioles clotlied with reflexed villi; 

 leaves petiolate, oblong-lanceolate, acuminated, ciliated, hardly 

 quite entire, 5-nerved ; panicle terminal, rather loose, oppo- 



Melastoma violacea. Rich. herb. Fruit globose, ribless, pilose, 

 crowned by the limb of the calyx, which is very short and 

 somewhat 5-toothed. Ovarium pilose at the apex. Leaves 



purplish. 



ViolaceousAeaveA Clidemia. 



Shrub 1 to 3 feet. 



59 C. cocci'nea (D. C. 1. c.) branches terete, and are as well 

 s'itely branched ; calyx urceolate, hispid, 5-cleft, with the lobes as the petioles clothed with adpressed bristles; leaves ovate- 

 glabrous on the inside. ^. S. Native of Brazil, near Oeiras, oblong, acuminated, toothed, triple-nerved, besides the 2 mar- 

 in the province of Bahia. Melastoma purpuriiscens, Schrank et 

 Mart. mss. But is different from Meldslonia purpur^scens of 

 Aubl. in the flowers being nearly twice the size. Branches and 

 calyxes brownish purple on the outside. Bracteas linear. Pe- 

 tals and genitals unknown. 



Purplish Clidemia. Shrub 3 to 4 feet. 



54 C. Carassa^na (D, C. prod. 3. p. 162.) branches nearly 

 terete, rather compressed, and are as well as the petioles, pa- 

 nicles, and under surface of leaves densely clothed with velvety 

 stellate down ; leaves on long petioles, oval, acuminated, sca- 

 brous on the upper surface from short, simple bristles, quin- 

 tuple-nerved ; panicle terminal ; style much exserted, acute. 

 ^ . S. Native of Brazil, on the high mountain called Carassa, 

 in the province of Minas Geraes. Melastoma Carassanum, 

 Schrank et Mart. mss. Petioles 12-15 lines long. Ovarium 

 bristly at the apex* 



Carassa Clidemia- Shrub 1 to 2 ft. 



65 C. bractea'ta (D. C. prod. 3. p. 162.) branches terete, 

 and are as well as the panicles and petioles hairy from crowded. 



long, rufous bristles ; leaves oval, rather cuneated at the base, girded by a ring of bristles at the apex 



ginal nervules, beset with scattered bristles, but with silky y\\\\ 

 on the nerves ; thyrse terminal, panicled, beset with short hairs, 

 with its branchlets opposite, and bearing 3 flowers each at the 

 apex ; calyx covered with short adprcssed villi, b . S. Na- 

 tive of Guiana, in shady woods. Melastoma coccinea. Rich, 

 herb, but not of Rich, in act. soc. hist. nat. par. Very like C. 

 violacea^ but the leaves are only purple beneath. 



Scarlet Clidemia. Sh. 1 to 2 feet. 



60 C. lana^ta (D. C. 1. c.) branches, petioles, both surfaces 

 of leaves as well as the branches and calyxes densely clothed 

 with woolly down ; hairs some of them sessile and stellate, 

 others bristle-like and stellate at the apex ; leaves petiolate, 

 ovate, terminating in short taper points, 3-nerved, besides the 

 2 marginal nervules, denticulated ; panicle terminal, crowded 

 with flowers, having its branches opposite ; teeth of calyx 5,. 

 obtuse. Tj . S. Native of Guiana, Cuba, about the Havannah, 

 and the Island of Trinidad. Melastoma lanatum, Lamb. herb. 

 Flowers white, very fragrant. Petals obovate. Anthers linear, 

 opening by 1 pore, bluntly biauriculated at the base. Ovarium 



Stigma somewhat 



acuminated at the apex, 5-nerved, almost quite entire, ciliated, capitate 



beset with stiff hairs beneath ; thyrse panicled, terminal, 

 with opposite branches, bearing dense heads of flowers at the 



A very distinct species- 

 Shrub 1 to 2 feet. 



T2. S. 



Native of 



apex, intermixed with ovate acute bracteas. 



Guiana, between Conana and Yueri. Melastoma tristis, Rich. 



herb. Flowers white. 



J?racfea/e-flowered Clidemia. Shrub 1 to 2 feet. 



56 C. muta'bims (D. C. 1. c.) branchlets terete, and are as 

 well as the petioles and peduncles very villous from rufous, of Peru, in frigid places, 

 adpressed, strigose hairs; leaves oval, cuneated at the base, 

 acuminated at the apex, quite entire, 5-nerved, clothed with ad- obovate-roundish 



pressed hairs on both surfaces; thyrse panicled, terminal, witli 

 opposite branches bearing heads of sessile bracteate flowers at 



Na- 



?roo//y Clidemia. .__ . 



61 C. oBscu^uA (D..C. 1. c.) branchlets as well as the pe- 

 tioles, panicles, and under side of leaves densely clothed \^'ith 

 rusty woolly down and small hairs; leaves petiolate, broadly 

 ovate, acute, 5-7-nerved, quite entire, beset with pih above, 

 which are bullate at the base ; panicle terminal, with its branches 

 opposite and crowded with flowers at the apex. >2 . »• ^^' 



Melastoma obscilra, Bonpl. njel. t. 



52. Limb of° calyx campanulate, bluntly 5-toothed. Pe^^^ 



idish. Ovarium half free from the calyx, furnisnea 



Berry 3-4-celled. 



with 10 bristles at the apex. 

 Flowers white. 



Stigma peltate 



Obscure Clidemia. Shrub 2 to 3 feet. 



62 C. iNvoLucRA^TA (D. C. prod. S. p. 163.) 



branches 



the apex ; calyx densely clothed with silky villi. Pp • S. 



live of Guiana, in shady woods. Melastoma mutabilis, Rich. 



herb. Very nearly allied to C. hracteaiiim^ but differs in the , 



calyxes being silky, not hairy, and in changing to a greenish-glau- oval, attenuated at the base, acuminated at the ^P^^'^l 

 ecus colour on drying. 



Chang€ahl€'Co\o\\xedL Clidemia. Shrub 1 to 2 feet. 



57 C. LAPPA CEA (D. C. 1. c.) branches terete, and are as well lets, bracteated or involucrated by 2 leaves, hairy, very sdui^ 

 as the petioles covered with somewhat adpressed, thick, strigose ^ ^ ^^ ' " ^ ' * '- **-i^''*-<^a mvolucra i 



hairs ; leaves oval, somewhat acuminated, 5-nerved, crenated, 

 ciliated, beset with scattered bristles on both surfaces, but hairy 



terete, and are as well as the petioles hairy ; leaves F^'^j^^^' 

 oval, attenuated at the base, acuminated at the apex, too ^^ 



ciliated, triple-nerved, besides the marginal "^^^^^^^J ^Jj^!nch- 

 both surfaces ; thyrse sessile, capitate, terminating the br 



Native of Guiana, in woods. Melastoma invo 



Branches spreading 



on the nerves beneath ; thyrse panicled, terminal, short, with 

 oppoiiite branches, bearing heads of sessile bracteate flowers at 

 the apex ; fruit very hispid, f? . S. Native of Guiana, in 



Tj.S. 



Rich. herb. Leaves thin, soft, 

 of flowers a violaceous purple colour, 

 /nro/wcra/erf Clidemia. Shrub 2 feet. 



Head' 



woods. Melastoma lappacca, Rich. herb. This species is 

 nearly allied to the two preceding, but differs in the leaves being 

 broadly crenated or somewhat bicrenate, and purple beneath. 

 ; Burdock Clidemia. Shrub 1 to 2 feet. 



58 C. viola'cea (D.C. 1. c.) branches terete, and are as well 

 as the petioles, nerves of leaves, and calyxes, clothed with ad- 



* * * Panicles terminal, very hispid from purpl'sh nair*. 

 68 C. RHODO'POGON (D. C. prod. 3. p. 163.) ^ranchlets^terejj. 

 and are as well as the petioles and nerves of •^5*t utle« on 

 clothed with bristles ; leaves beset with scattered 0"*.^.^^^ 

 both surfaces, petiolate, oblong, acuminated, s^""^^ ;' • „^ach 

 S-nerved besides the marginal nervules; panicle ^^'""^^ \i^piA 

 branched, divaricate, and are as well as the calyxes \e j 



