518 LX. MELASTOMACEJ:. (C. B. Clarke.) [Osbeckia. 







221 ; DC. P)-odr. iii. 142 ; Watt. Cat. 4068. O. pulchella, Wall. Cat. 4059 ; 

 Naud. in Ann. Sc. Nat. ser. 3. xiv. 73. O. campestris, Wall. Cat. 4063 ; O. 

 longicollis, Wall. Cat. 4065. Melaetoma pulchella, Roxb. Fl. Ind. ii. 403. 

 Melastomacea, Griff. Ic. 638. 



In the swamps at the foot of the Himalaya, from NIPAL to BURMA ; abundant in 

 NORTH and EAST BENGAL including ASSAM at 500-1000 ft. alt.; and (ex J. D. H.) 

 ascends the hills to 4000 ft. alt. 



Erect, 4-8 ft., virgate, hardly divided except towards the corymb. Leaves 3-8 in., 

 5 -nerved, often in whorls of three, broadly lanceolate, glabrous or with long hairs scat- 

 tered on both surfaces ; petiole - in. Corymb often with elongated branches ; bracts 

 ovate, glabrous or little hairy. Calyx when young glabrous or somewhat densely 

 stellate hairy. Petals rose-purple. Bristles on the apex of the ovary or about 20. 

 Fruit ^ in., generally glabrous finally, sometimes with scattered stellate hairs. A 

 species easily recognised by its habitat (Terai- or rice-swamps), its erect undivided 

 stem and its rose-purple flowers. It varies greatly in hairiness. 



VAR. 1. pulchella, Benth. ; stem leaves calyx and apex of ovary absolutely 

 glabrous. 



VAR. 2. longicollis, Wall. ; stem with hispid patent scattered bristles, leaves 

 bristly-hairy on both surfaces, young calyx somewhat densely stellate-hairy, fruit with 

 scattered stellate hairs. 



VAR. 3. 0. marginulata, Wall. Cat. 4064 ; stem and capsule with ascending hairs. 

 Burma. 



SECT. IV. A shrub. Perianth large 4-merous. Anthers without beaks. 



12. O. gracilis, Bedd. in Trans. Linn. Soc. xxv. 216 ; erect, slender, nearly 

 glabrous, leaves 2|-3 in. narrow lanceolate 3-nerved bristle-hairy on both sur- 

 faces, petiole -f in., peduncles with 2-3 large flowers, calyx-tube with a few 

 remote bristles lobes ciliate ended by a bunch of bristles, anthers without beaks. 

 (Resembling O. longicollis Wallich i.e. O. rostrata above). 



DECCAN PENINSULA ; Anamallay Mts. ; alt. 4000 ft., Col. Beddome. 



This species (only known from Col. Beddome's description here copied) is referred 

 by Triana (Trans. Linn. Soc. xxviii. 54) to his section Ceramicalyx, which has very 

 long beaks to the anthers. Col. Beddome's plant seems really nearer 0. octandra DC. 

 below. 



SECT. V. Asterostoma. Shrubs. Perianth large 5-merous. Anthers 

 attenuate upwards not beaked. 



[The series of species following from No. 12 to No. 19 inclusive is quite unbroken : 

 the flowers, anthers, fruit and hairs on the ovary are much the same in all. The spe- 

 cies are separated by minute or trifling characters only ; Triana makes more than the 

 following eight, Thwaites less, out of the same material.] 



13. O. buxifolia, Am. in Hook. Comp. Sot. Mag. ii. 309 ; leaves in. 

 subsessile ovate obtuse 3-5-nerved rufous woolly beneath nearly glabrous striolate 

 above, calyx-teeth \-^ in. long-lanceolate acute rufous-villous without. Naud. in 

 Ann. Sc. Nat. ser. 3. xiv. 63 ; Thwaites Enum. p. 105 ; Triana in Trans. Linn. 

 JSoc. xxviii. 54. 



CEYLON, alt. 6000-8000 ft. ; Walker, Gardner, Thwaites. 



Small, woody, branched ; branches and innovations rufous shaggy. Flowers 1-3, 

 clustered at the end of the branches. Fruit campanulate, truncate, rufous-hairy. 



VAR. 1. typica; hairs on the calyx-tube with a long stem standing at right 

 angles to the surface of the tube very stellate. 



VAR. 2. minor, Thwaites No. 2618 ; hairs on the calyx-tube simple villous ad- 

 pressed, flowers smaller than in the type. . 



