20 Dr. Jack on the Malayan Species of Melasioma. 



other, and differ considerably in habit from the other Me- 

 lastomce chiefly in their extreme smoothness and the greater 

 delicacy of their flowers. The latter is by far the most 

 frequent, and appears to prefer the neighbourhood of the 

 sea. The tubercles of the leaf are formed by the incurving 

 of its base upon the petiole at the point of junction : they 

 are rarely exactly opposite, but generally higher on the one 

 side than the other. The petals have a kind of appendix or 

 toothlet on the margin, a little above the middle. In the 

 former species the petals are singularly transparent and 

 delicate. 



18. Melastoma alpestris. 



Tab. I. Fig. 3. a—d. 



M. decandra, paniculis terminalibus, foliis sessilibus glaberrimis 



crenulatis quintuplinerviis. 

 Found on the summit of the Sugar-loaf Mountain (Gunong 



Bdnko) in Sumatra. 



A small shrub, with smooth sub-dichotomous branches. Leaves 

 opposite, sessile, semi-amplexicaul, ovate, elongated up- 

 wards, obsoletely crenate, very smooth, coriaceous, pale 

 green, with a purplish shade beneath, quintuple-nerved; 

 three to four inches long. A circle of short brown threads 

 in the axils. Panicles terminal, divaricate, flesh-coloured. 

 Bracts small. Calyx five-dentate. Corolla five-petalled, of 

 a delicate flesh-colour, rotate ; petals obtusely notched at 

 the point. Stamina ten, ascending, equal. Anthers similar 

 and equal, curved, beaked, dark-purple, having a toothlet 

 or spur behind ; before expansion their points reach about 

 half way down between the calyx and ovary. Style simple. 

 Berries red, five-celled, many-seeded. 



Obs. This is the first decandrous species I have met with belong- 

 ing 



