melastomace^e. 257 



53. M. prasina, DC. Leaves glabrous, oblong or elliptical-oblong, acuminate or point- 

 leted, triplinerved, petioled ; panicle triehotomous, powdery : flowers clustered or shortly 

 serial; calyx-tube at length furrowed ; anthers 10 ; ovary 3(— 4)-locular : stigma thickened, 

 blunt. — Melastoma, Sw. M. trinervium et quinquenervium, Salzm. PL Bah. ! Miconia 

 attenuata, DC, Crueg. I M. colliua, DC. M. macrophylla, Steud. ! M. palustris, Macf. 

 — A common shrub, 4'-25' high, variable in growth, texture, and margin of the leaves, 

 shape of calyx, and size of flower ; leaves 4"-8" long, usually somewhat leathery, subentire 

 or crenate-repand ; calyx-tube ovate ; petals whitish, l'"-2'" long ; anthers biauricled at the 

 base; berry blue or almost black. — Hab. Jamaica!, all coll., to Trinidad !, Cr. ; in woods 

 and open situations ; [Haiti ; Panama to Brazil !]. 



ft Seeds obovate, with the embrgo straight. 



54. M. .laevigata, DC. Leaves glabrous or glabrescent, ovate-lauceolate, taper-pointed, 

 trinerved, petioled ; pauicle triehotomous, powdery : flowers shortly serial ; calyx-tube at 

 length furrowed; anthers 10; ovary 3-locular: stigma blunt. — Aubl. 1. 159. Bonpl. Mel. t. 

 21 : Mel. pyramidalis (a denticulate form with small flowers) ; t. 35 : Mel. pendulifolia 

 (the same with larger flowers). — Mel. lsevigata, Aubl. Miconia pyramidalis, nicotianrefolia, 

 pendulifolia, havanensis, trichotoma, ceanothina, DC. M. affiuis, microcarpa, parviflora, 

 Macf. — A shrub, usually 4-10' high, extremely common in the West Indies, variable chiefly 

 in the margin of the leaves, the down, and the size and arrangement of the flowers : safely 

 to be distinguished from M. prasina, DC, by the lateral leaf-ribs proceeding from the base 

 of the midrib ; leaves 4"-10" long, entire or denticulate ; calyx -tube ovate ; petals white or 

 flesh-coloured, l"'-3'" long ; connective biauricled at the base on the anterior, tubercled on 

 the posterior side ; berry black.— Hab. Jamaica ! to Trinidad !, all coll., Sieb. Tr. 67, every- 

 where in all the islands ; [Cuba! and Mexico! to Panama! and Guiana]. 



55. M. myriantha, Benth. Leaves glabrous above, glabresceut beneath, oblong- 

 lanceolate, taper-pointed, trinerved, petioled ; panicle spreading, many-flowered, powdery 

 and glabrescent : ultimate flowers shortlg pedicellate ; calyx-tube not furrowed ; anthers 10; 

 ovary 3-locular: stigma minute, blunt. — M. tristis, Spring! M. depanperata, Gardn. ! 

 M. melanodendron, Naud. ! Glossocentrum collinum, Crueg. ! Melastoma pendulum, 

 Salzm. PI. Bah.! — A shrub, 8'-10' high ; leaves 4"-5" long, black in drying, rounded at 

 the base, entire : petiole 3"'-4'" long ; calyx-tube ovate, powdery : teeth minute ; petals 

 white, 1"' long, obovate-oblong, equalling the length of the calyx ; anthers biauricled at the 

 base or spurred : the spur variable in length ; berry l'"diam. — Hab. Triuidad !, Cr. ; [New 

 Granada!, Guiana!, Brazil!]. 



§§ Panicle contracted, spiciform. Seeds obovate. 



56. M. multispicata, Naud. Branchleis, petioles, and under side of leaf-ribs tomen- 

 tose ; leaves elliptical, pointleted, rounded at the base, subtriplinervcd, with the exception of 

 the under side of the ribs glabrous ; panicle contracted, interrupted below : clusters of flow- 

 ers on its primary, reduced branches ; calyx-tube not furrowed, hoary-downy ; anthers 10, 

 with the terminal pore partitioned; ovary 3-locular: stigma capitate. — Cremanium inte- 

 grifolium, Macf. — Leaves 3"-6" long, papery, shining, entire: petiole 6"'-8'" long; calyx- 

 tube ovate : teeth ovate ; petals somewhat clawed, roundish, l'"-2'" diam., reflexed and 

 shorter than the calyx-tube ; anthers biauricled at the base : filaments shortly inflexed in the 

 bud; berry black. — Hab. Jamaica!, Pd., Al. _ 



57. M. trinervis, Gr. Glabrous; leaves elliptical-lanceolate, tapering at both ends, 

 shortly petioled, trinerved ; panicle contracted, interrupted : clusters of flowers subsessile on 

 the primary axis ; calyx-tube not furrowed, glabrous ; anthers 10, with the terminal pore 

 partitioned; ovary 3-4-locular: stigma blunt. — Melastoma, Sw. ! Miconia hexaptera, 

 Naud. M. spicata, Macf. ! Cremanium trinerve, Macf. — A shrub, G'-8' high, with the 

 younge* branches tetragonal ; leaves 6"-12" long, obsoletely crenate or subentire; calyx- 

 teeth miuute or obsolete ; petals " oval, white."— This species, as well as the following one, 

 presents the ovary crowned by a neck, encircling the base of the style : but as this structure 

 is not observable in 31. multispicata, so nearly related to this, no reliance can be put on the 

 character.— Hab. Jamaica!, Pd., M'Nab, AL, Wils., in mountain thickets. 



58. M. furfuracea, Gr. Branchlets and pelialcs rnstg-tomenlose with furfuraceous 



