Tab. 6345. 



PLEEOMA gayanum. 



Native of Peru. 



Nat. Ord. Mblastomacxs. — Tribe Osbeckie^e. 

 Genus Pleroma, Don. (Benth. and Hook. f. Gen. Plant, vol. i. p. 748). 



Pleroma Oayanum ; fruticosum, caule ramisque gracilibus tenuiter strigillosis, 

 foliis petiolatis elliptico-ovatis basi acutis obtusis v. subcordatis 5-uerviis 

 acutis v. acuminatis serrulatis utrinque appresse hirtis, paniculis ad apices 

 ramulorum trichotome corymbosis, calycis villosi lobis subulato-lanceolatis 

 tubum campanulatum sequantibus, petabs late obovatis albis basin versus 

 stramineis, calyce fructifero globoso setuloso. 



P. Gayanum, Triana in Trans. Linn. Soe. vol. xxviii. p. 40. 



Micranthella Gayana, Triana in Ann. 8e. Nat. ser. 3, vol. xiii. p. Ii50. 



Pleroma is one of the very large genera of the great order 

 Melastomacea, to which some of the most brilliant stove 

 plants hitherto introduced, and yet to be introduced, belong ; 

 of the former, Medinilla magnified (tab. 4533) and Pleroma 

 macremtha (tab. 5721) are examples, whilst of the latter, 

 Blakea trinervia and B. lancifolia, both West Indian plants, 

 and one of them common, are conspicuous instances. With 

 regard to Blakea trinervia especially, it is difficult to under- 

 stand why a plant so common and so well known in some of 

 the West Indian islands for its extraordinary beauty should 

 never have become common in our stoves. It has been 

 received at Kew from Dr. Imray, of Dominica, but always 

 in a dying condition. Some of the most eminent nurserymen 

 of the continent have been equally baffled in their attempts 

 to introduce it. Like many tropical hard-wooded plants, it 

 is not easy of cultivation, or rather, perhaps, impatient of 

 confinement during the voyage. 



Of Pleroma upwards of a hundred species, all American, are 

 enumerated in Triana's valuable monograph of the Melasto- 



KEIiRUARY 1ST, 1H?8. 



