C 5 2 9 3 



Melastoma Malabathrica. Cinnamon-Leaved 

 Melastoma, or Black Strawberry-Tree. 



Clafs and Order. 

 Decandria Monocynia. 



Generic Characler. 



Col, 5-fidus campanulatus. Petal. 5-caIyci inferta. Bacc. 

 5-locularis, calyce obvoluta. 



Specific CharaBer and Synonyms, 



MELASTOMA malabathrica; foliis integerrimis 5-nerviis 

 lanceolato-ovatis fcabris. Spec. Plant, ed. 

 IVilldenow, 2. 592. Martin Miller's DicJ. »• 

 1 o. Flor. Zeylan. 171. Burm. Zeyl. 1 5 5 . t. 7 3- 

 Ind. 104. 



KEDALI. Rheed Malabar. 4. 87. /. 42. 



FRAGARIUS niger. Rumph. Amboyn. 4. p. 137. /. 72. 



It is lingular, that of this very numerous genus, of which 

 eighty-five fpecies are enumerated by Willdenow, not one 

 mould be found in the Kew Catalogue. Several of them have 

 been introduced of late years ; but, of all that we have feen, 

 this is the handfomeft, and is otherwife interefting, as being 

 the one from which the name of the genus was framed by 

 Profeffor Burman, This fignifies black mouth, a name given 

 to it by the vulgar, from its effecT: on the mouths of the chil- 

 dren who ate of the fruit, which is filled with a black pujp* 

 Being a native of Ceylon and other parts of the Eaft-Indies, 

 it muft with us, always require to be kept in a ftove, where i* 

 forms a handfome ihrub. 



Our figure was taken from a fine plant which flowered this 

 Summer at Mr. Alderman Hibbert's, at Clapham-Common. 



