LVII. MELASTOMACE.E (HOOKER). 441 



Tribe 3. Medinilleee. — Ovary almost or wholly adnate to the calyx-tube. Fruit a 

 berry, rarely a capsule, crowned by the calyx-limb, or areolate; crown convex, glabrous 

 or bristly. Seeds usually obovoid or pyramidal, never cochleate. 



Anthers 10, very unequal, connective much lengthened, with 2 an- 



ticous and no posticous spurs 10. Sakersia. 



Anthers 10, very unequal ; connective much lengthened, with 2 an- 



ticous and a posticous spur 11. Dicellandra. 



Anthers, 8, 10, 12, subequal ; connective not lengthened below . 12. Medinilla. 



Suborder II. Memecyle^e. 



Ovary either 1 -celled with the ovules whorled round a central pla- 

 centa, or 2- or more -celled, with few collateral ascending ovules in 

 the axis of each cell. Fruit few-seeded. Seeds large ; embryo large, 

 cotyledons plano-convex or subfoliaceous. 

 Ovary 1-celled ; ovules whorled 13. Memecylon. 



1. NEROPHILA, Naud. ; Benth. et Hook. f. Gen. Plant, i. 744. 



Calyx shortly campanulate, glabrous ; lobes 4, subulate -lanceolate, 

 ciliate, persistent, with minute alternating teeth. Petals 4, obovate, 

 apiculate. Stamens 8, filaments thickened below; anthers equal, 

 linear-oblong, pore single, connective obscurely tubercled at the base. 

 Ovary free, 4-celled, top bristly ; style filiform, stigma simple. Cap- 

 sule 4-valved. Seeds cochleate. — A small annual erect setulose herb. 

 Leaves few, sessile, ovate or oblong, obscurely serrate. Flowers 1-3 

 at the tips of the branches, small, yellow, involucrate. 



The only species, confined to Senegambia. 



1. N. gentianoides, Naud. in Ann. Sc. Nat. ser. 3, xiv. 119, and 

 xiii. t. 8. Stem 4-8 in., 4-gonous, simple or 3-chotomously branched, 

 very slender, strict. Leaves \ in., subacute, setulose on both surfaces. 

 Flowers capitate on capillary erect branches ; heads surrounded by an 

 involucre of 4 leaves like the cauline, about \ in. in diameter. Calyx- 

 lobes subulate-lanceolate. Anthers erect, yellow. 



Upper Guinea. Senegambia, in marshes of the Senegal river, Heudelot ! 



2. OSBECKIA, Linn. ; Benth. et Hook. f. Gen. Plant, i. 744. 



Calyx-tube ovoid urceolate or subglobose, usually produced beyond 

 the ovary, hispid bristly or clothed with scales that bear pectinately or 

 stellately arranged bristles, of which a series often alternates with the 

 calyx-lobes j lobes 5, rarely 4 (deciduous in the African species). Pe- 

 tals 5, rarely 4, obovate. Stamens 10, rarely 8, equal or subequal ; 

 anthers linear-subulate, large or small, incurved or sigmoid ; connec- 

 tive shortly or not at all produced, usually dilated or 2-tubercled at 

 the base. Ovary adherent, 5- rarely 4-celled, top bristly ; style slender, 

 stigma simple or capitellate. Capsule small, sunk in the dry calyx- 

 tube, 4-5-valved at the top. Seeds minute, cochleate. — Herbs or 

 shrubs, usually erect and hispid strigose or scabrid. Leaves 3-7- 



VOL. II. p 



