MELASTOMACE^. LXXIX. Blakea. LXXX. Kibessia. LXXXI. Charianthus. LXXXII. Ch.enopleura. 801 



shorter than the calyx. ^ . S. Native of Mexico. B- tri- sule baccate, globose, umbilicate, 4-celled, opening a little at 



large lateral 



nervis, Pav. in herb. Lamb, Flowers red. 

 Smooth Blakea. Shrub. 



+ Species hardly known* 



13 B.? pulyerule'nta (Vahl. symb. 3. p. 61.) calyx without 

 scales ; leaves elliptic, glabrous, triple-nerved ; racemes ter- 

 minal. Fj . S. Native of South America. See E. Meyer, in 

 act, bonn. 12. p. 797. 



Powdery Blakea, Shrub. 



14 B ? Ca'catin (D. Don, 1. c.) branches bluntly quadran- nearV^^^^^^^^^ 

 gular; leaves ovate acuminated, 3-nerved ; petioles very long, ^i^ated, quite entire, 5-nervcd, 

 ttiick both at the base and apex ; flowers and fruit unknown. 

 ^ . S. Native of Guiana, on the banks of rivers. Melastoma 

 Cacatin, Aubl. guian. 1. p, 437. t. 172. Cacatin is a name 

 given to the plant by the Indians of Guiana. 



Cacatin Blakea. Shrub 8 to 10 ft. 



Cult. The species of this genus are all worth cultivating for 

 the sake of the fine broad foliage, and large showy rose-coloured 

 flowers. They thrive well in peat earth, or a mixture of loam 

 and peat, and require to be liberally supplied with water, parti- 

 cularly in spring and summer. Cuttings should be taken from 



the apex by the valves. Placentas lunate. Seeds ovate, with a 



hylum. Albumen none. Embryo straight, with 

 thick cotyledons, and a long, inferior radicle. — Erect, West 

 Indian shrubs, with petiolate, 5-nerved leaves, and purple flowers, 

 which are disposed in trichotomous, corymbose cymes. 

 1 C. cocci'neus(D, Don, 1. c.) F1G» 113. 



all parts of shrub rather pubes- 

 cent when young, but at length be- 

 coming quite glahrous ; branches 



beset with flocky down beneath 

 small dots, b . S. Native 



or 



of Guadaloupe and Cayenne, on 

 the higher mountains, in sphng- 



Melastoma coc- 



hist. 



nous places. 



Rich, in act. 

 109. and 



cinea, 



nat. 



mel. 



soc. 



par, 

 t. 44. 



in 

 Melast. 



Swartz, fl. ind. occ. 2. 

 The dots on the lower 



Bonpl. 



alpina, 

 p. 800. 

 surface 



A • ■ 'Arf^O<^\ 



shoots that are quite ripe, otherwise they are apt to rot; and if ^f leaves are the cicatrices, oc- 



planted in a pot of sand, and plunged in a moist heat under a ^asioned by the falling off- of the tufts of stellate down. Calyx 



hand-glass, they strike root freely. 



Suborder II. CnARiA^NTHEiE (plants agreeing with C/m- 

 ridnthxis in the anthers opening longitudinally by 2 chinks). 

 Ser. mss. ex D. C. prod. 3. p. 196. Anthers 2-celled (f. 113. 

 e.), opening longitudinally by a double chink (f. 113. e.). Fruit 

 fleshy. Seeds cuneate, angular. 



LXXX. KIBE'SSIA {Kibessie is the name given to this 

 plant by the Javanese). D. C. prod. 3. p. 196. Blume, in hot. 

 zeit. 1831.no. 30. p. 524. 



liiN. SYST. Octdndria, Monogynia. Tube of calyx nearly 

 hemispherical, muricated from branched bristles, adnate to the 

 ovarium ; limb undivided, calyptriform, cut round about at the 

 base, and falling off in one piece. Petals 4, obovate. Stamens 

 8, equal. Anthers ovate, opening by a longitudinal double chink, 

 fleshy on the back and without any appendage. Style filiform, 

 tapering to the apex ; stigma simple. Fruit nearly globose, 

 depressed at the apex, and hence umbilicate, indehiscent, 4- 

 celled. Seeds cuneated, angular. — A large, glabrous shrub, 

 with terete branchlets, but rather tetragonal towards the apex. 

 Leaves opposite, on short petioles, oval-oblong, tapering to both 

 ends, 3-nerved, quite entire. Peduncles axillary and terminal, 

 solitary, or in few-flowered fascicles ; pedicels bibracteate in 

 the middle. Flowers large, blue. 



1 K. azu'rea (D. C. prod. 3. p. 1^6. Blum. 1. c). fj . S. 

 Native of Java, in woods on the mountains. Melastoma azureum, 



Blum.bijdr. p. 1079. 



£/«e-flowered Kibessia. Shrub 10 feet. 



Cult. This shrub is worth cultivating for its showy, large, 

 blue flowers and fine foliage. Its culture and propagation are 

 the same as that recommended for Blakea. 



LXXXI. CHARIA'NTHUS (from x«P*^^f» charieis. beauti- 

 ful, and av^oQy anthos, a flower ; flowers very shewy). D. Don, 

 in wern. soc. mem. 4. p. 327. D. C. prod. 3. p. 191. — Chaenan- 

 thera. Rich. herb. 



dotted from flocky down when young, but quite glabrous in the 

 adult state. Flowers scarlet. 



Scarlet-Rowered Chariantlius. Shrub 4 to 6 feet. 



2 C. glabe'rrimus (D. C. prod. 3. p. 19G.) shrubby, quite 

 glabrous in every part ; branchlets bluntly tetragonal ; leaves 



fj . S. Na- 



oval, acuminated, quite entire, 5-nerved, dotless. 

 tive of Martinique, Trinidad, and 



Melastoma 



corymbosa, Vahl. eel. 3. p. 25. 



herb. Balb. Chenanthera mucronata, Rich. herb. 



m 



Guadaloupe. 



Melast. Berteriknum, Spreng. 



Chari- 



anthus Berteroanus, Ser. mss. Perhaps only a smooth variety 



but the leaves are longer. 



Flowers 



of the preceding species, 



purplish red. 



Qidtc-glabrous Charianthus. 



3 C. TiNiFOLius (D. Don, 1. c.) leaves ovate, coriaceous, ob- 



on both 



Shrub 4 to 6 feet. 



tuse, short-acuminated, 5-nervcd, quite entire, glab 



S. Native of the 



Lateral nerves 



surfaces, as well as on the branches. 1^ . 

 West India Islands. Flowers blood-coloured, 

 of leaves almost obsolete. 



Laurestinus-leaved Charianthus. Shrub 4 to G feet. 



4 C. purpu'reus (D. Don, 1. c.) branches and petioles hispid 

 from bristles ; leaves oval, short-acuminated, cordate at the 

 base, quite entire, 5-nerved, pilose beneath and on the margins. 

 ^2 . S. Native of the Island of Montserrat. Melastoma 

 cocclnea, Vahl. eel. 1. p. 48. icon. amer. t. 16. but not of Rich. 

 Flowers purplish red. 



Pwrp/e-flowered Charianthus. Shrub 4 to 6 feet. 



5 C. cilia'tus (D. C. prod. 3. p. 197.) branches hispid from 

 bristles ; leaves ovate, coriaceous, short-acuminated, glabrous 

 on both surfaces, 5-nerved, serrated, with the serrature callous 



. S. Native of Trinidad. 



and ciliately toothed. 

 trin. no. 279. 



^ 



Sieb. pi. 



Melastoma 



Tetrazygos ciliatus, Rich. herb. 

 Dodandiana, Hamilt. prod. p. 37. Flowers purple. 



CiHatcd-leaxed Charianthus. Shrub 3 to 6 feet. 



Cult. All the species of Charianthus are worth cultivating 

 for their showy cymes or corymbs of purple or scarlet flowers. 



Lin. syst. Octdndria^ Monogynia. Tube of calyx ovate, Their culture and propagation are the same as recommended for 

 rather urceolate (f. 113. a.); limb spreading, bluntly 4-lobed, Blakea, see j). 801. 

 permanent. Petals 4, erect, oval. Stamens 8, nearly equal ; 

 filaments linear ff. 113. J.); anthers continuous with the fila- 

 ments (f. 113. e.;, oblongly club-shaped, nalced at the base, 

 opening longitudinally by a double chink (f. 1 13. e.). Ovarium 



adnate to the (lalyx (f. 113, c). Style filiform, exscrted. Cap- 



vot. n. 



LXXXII. CIIiENOPLEU'RA (from x^^^^i chaino^ to open, 

 and 7r\£vpa, ^^/cwm, a side). Rich. herb, ex D. C. prod. 3. 

 p. 197. 



Lin. syst. Dec&ndrta^ Monogynta. Calyx adnate to the 



5 K 



