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MELASTOMA VILLOSA. ViLLous MELASTOMA. 
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Class and Order. 
Decanpria Monoeynia. 
Generic Character. 
Cal. 5-fidus, campanulatus. Petala 5, calyci inserta. — 
Bacca 5-locularis, calyce obvoluta. ; 
Specific Character and Synonym. 
Me astoma villosa ; foliis ovatis acutis integerrimis villosis 
quinquenerviis; floribus terminalibus paucis invicem 
provenientibus. 
Metastoma villosa. Lod. Cab. 853. 
This is not the Metastoma villosa of Auster, which has 
been referred to the genus Ruexia. Every part of the 
plant is covered with short soft hairs. The branches are | 
square; the leaves generally five-nerved, but the upper 
pair, in our specimen, were only three-nerved ; the petals 
obovate, obtuse with a small soft mucro. Messrs. Loppices 
remark, that it usually produces four blossoms at the termi- 
nation of the branches, which are produced in succession, 
so that there is seldom more than one atatime. It flowers 
_ freely in the spring and summer months. 
The Metastoma villosa is a handsome evergreen shrub ; 
supposed to be a native of tropical South-America, and 
requires the protection of the stove. May be propagated 
by cuttings, which strike readily, and should be potted in 
loam and peat, as we are informed in the Botanical Cabinet, 
where only we have found any mention of this species. 
Our drawing was taken in June, 1822, at the late garden 
of Wm. Kenr, Esq. in Upper Clapton, an ardent cultivator 
_ of rare plants, who has since removed to the neighbourhood 
of Bath; in which retirement we believe he continues to 
indulge his taste for Botany. 
