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BYTTNERIACEjE. XIV. MELOCHIA. 



XIV. MELO'CHIA (a name altered from the Arabic name 

 of Corchorus olitorius, Melochtch or Melokhych, which is used in 

 the East as a salad-plant). H. B. et Kunth, nov. gen. amer. 

 5. p. 322. Melochia, spec. Lin. gen. no. 829. D. C. prod. 1. 

 p. 490. 



LIN. SYST. Monadelphia, Pentandria. Calyx 5-cleft, naked, 

 or furnished with 1-3 calyculate bracteas. Petals 5, spreading. 

 Stamens 5, monadelphous at the base. Styles 5, more or less 

 connected. Capsules 5-celled, 5-valved, opening at the cells, 

 bearing a dissepiment in the middle of each valve. Seeds from 

 1-2 in each cell. Herbs or subshrubs with simple serrated 

 leaves. Flowers terminal, axillary, and opposite the leaves, capi- 

 tate, umbellate, or glomerate, spicate, corymbose or panicled, 

 rarely solitary, white, red, lilac, yellow, purple, violet, and of 

 2 colours. Calyx valvate. Petals twisted. The genus Reidleia 

 does not appear to differ generically from Melochia, and per- 

 haps it wonld be better if these two genera were again united. 

 Those species said to have 10-valved capsules, more properly 

 belong to the genus Riedleia as it now stands. 



1 M. PYRAMIDA'TA (Lin. syst. p. 510.) leaves ovate, acute, 

 serrated, smooth ; upper ones oblong or linear-oblong ; pedun- 

 cles 5-1 0-flowered, capitate, opposite the leaves; petioles and 

 branches puberulous ; tube of stamens 5-cleft at the top ; cap- 

 sule pyramidal at both ends. ^ S. Native of the Caribbee 

 Islands and Brazil. Cav. diss. 6. p. 319. t. 172. f. 1. M. Do- 

 mingensis, Jacq. vind. 1. t. 30. Flowers flesh-coloured or 

 violaceous, yellow at the claws. 



Pyramida J-capsuled Melochia. Fl. July, Aug. Clt. 1768. 

 Shrub 1 to 2 feet. 



2 M. ULMARIOIDES (St. Hil. fl. 1. p. 159.) stem twiggy ; 

 cauline leaves ovate, heart-shaped, acute, dentately serrated, 

 smoothish above, but pubescent beneath ; panicle terminal, cy- 

 mose, elongated ; tube of stamens cleft in 5, even to the middle ; 

 capsule globose, villous, 10-valved at the apex. Tj . S. Native of 

 Brazil in the province of Rio Grande do Sul at the river Uruguay. 



Ulmaria-like Melochia. Fl. Jan. Shrub 1 to 2 feet. 



3 M. SERI'CEA (St. Hil. fl. bras. 1. p. 160.) stem twiggy, 

 nearly simple, hairy ; cauline leaves heart-shaped, unequally 

 silky ; panicle terminal, simple, interrupted ; tube of stamens 

 deeply 5-cleft; capsule globose, villous, 10-valved at the apex. 

 fj . S. Native of Brazil near Villa Rica. Flowers yellow ? 



Silky Melochia. Fl. Feb. PI. 3 to 5 feet. 



4 M. GRAMINIFOLIA (St. Hil. fl. bras. 1. p. 160. t. 31.) stem 

 nearly simple, twiggy ; leaves on short petioles, linear, acute, 

 remotely serrated,' smooth ; panicle terminal, very slender ; 

 tube of stamens nearly entire ; capsule subglobose, at length 

 10-valved. Tj . S. Native of Brazil in the province of Minas 

 Novas in dried-up marshes. Petals purple, but yellow at the 

 base with purple veins. 



Grass-leaved Melochia. Fl. June. PI. 1 to 1-| foot. 



5 M. TURPINIA'NA (H. B. et Kunth, nov. gen. amer. 5. p. 

 323. t. 432.) leaves somewhat unequal-sided, ovate, acute, 

 truncate, and somewhat cordate at the base, doubly crenate- 

 serrated, pubescent above, hoary from tomentum beneath ; um- 

 bels 7-1 0-flowered, longer than the petioles. Jj . S. Native of 

 New Granada. Flowers red or violaceous. 



Turpin's Melochia. Fl. June, July. Shrub 1 to 2 feet. 



6 M. TOMENTOSA (Lin. spec. 932.) leaves unequal-sided, 

 ovate-oblong, acute, serrated, with plaited lines, hoary from 

 tomentum on both surfaces as well as the branchlets ; umbels 

 3-8-flowered, axillary, longer than the petioles, but they are 

 opposite the leaves on the branchlets. fj . S. Native of the 

 Caribbee Islands in dry fields as well as on the sandy sea-coast 

 of Cumana. H. B. et Kunth, nov. gen. amer. 5. p. 323. 

 Flowers purple. Style 5-cleft. 



Var. ft, frutescens (Jacq. obs. 2. p. 24.) differing from the 



species in its habit being much harder, as well as the leaves being 

 much smaller. Flowers violaceous. Perhaps a distinct species. 

 Tomentose Melochia. Fl. May, June. Clt. 1768. Shrub 6 

 to 7 feet. 



7 M. MACROPHY'ILA (H. B. et Kunth, nov. gen. amer. 5. 

 p. 324.) leaves equal-sided, ovate, acute, cordate, crenate-ser- 

 rated, hairy above, but clothed with fine, soft, hoary tomentum 

 beneath ; umbels many-flowered, equal in length with the pe- 

 tioles. T? . S. Native of New Andalusia near Bordones. 

 Flowers white. 



Long-leaved Melochia. Shrub 3 to 6 feet. 



8 M. LILACINA (St. Hil. fl. bras. 1. p. 162.) stems decumbent, 

 branched ; leaves on short petioles, cordate at the base, un- 

 equally serrated, plaited, silky-villous on both surfaces, lower 

 ones somewhat oblong-ovate, intermediate ones ovate or ovate- 

 roundish, uppermost ones roundish-ovate, or roundish ; flowers 

 glomerate, disposed in interrupted spikes ; tube of stamens 

 entire ; capsule ovate, 5-lobed, villous, 5-valved. If. . S. Native 

 of Brazil in the province of Minas Geraes, not far from the 

 river St. Francisco. Flowers lilac. 



Z-i/ac-flowered Melochia. Fl.-Aug. PI. decumbent. 



9 M. HERMANNIOIDES (St. Hil. fl. bras. 1. p. 163. t. 32.) 

 stem suffruticose, prostrate ; leaves usually obovate, very obtuse, 

 toothed, quite entire at the base, pilose on both surfaces ; heads 

 of flowers subumbellate ; peduncles opposite the leaves, hairy ; 

 tube of stamens 5-cleft ; capsule somewhat obcordately-globose, 

 5-lobed. Tj . S. Native of Brazil in the. province of the Mis- 

 sions, in grassy fields. Petals violaceous. 



Hermannia-like Melochia. Fl. Jan. Feb. Shrub prostrate. 



10 M. SI'MPIEX (St. Hil. fl. bras. 1. p. 164.) stem suffruti- 

 cose, nearly simple ; leaves lanceolate, finely denticulated, pu- 

 berulous on the nerves ; flowers axillary, and at the tops of the 

 branches in fascicles ; capsule spherical, pilose, 5-valved. Jj . S. 

 Native of Brazil in the province of St. Paul, in the northern 

 part. Petals purple or violet at the top but yellow at the base. 



Simple-stemmed Melochia. Fl. Mar. Shrub 1 foot. 



11 M. NEPETOIDES (St. Hil. fl. bras. 1. p. 165.) stem suffru- 

 ticose ; leaves ovate, cordate at the base, crenate, puberulous 

 above, but pubescent beneath ; heads of flowers axillary ; pe- 

 duncles longer than the petioles, pubescent ; capsule pyramidal 

 at both ends, broad. T? . S. Native of Brazil in the province' 

 of Minas Novas, on the banks of a rivulet called Sucuriu. 

 Flowers purplish. 



Nepeta-like Melochia. Fl. May. Shrub 1^ foot. 



12 M. BETONIC/EFOLIA (St. Hil. fl. bras. 1. p. 165.) leaves 

 ovate-oblong, cordate at the base, crenate-toothed, rather pubes- 

 cent above, but pubescent beneath ; heads of flowers axillary, 

 with the peduncle shorter than the petiole ; tube of stamens 5- 

 cleft ; capsule pyramidal at both ends, pubescent, with the lobes 

 of the exterior angle furnished with a tooth. *j . S. Native of 

 Brazil in the province of Minas Novas. Flowers white. 



Betony-leaved Melochia. Fl. May. Shrub 1 to 2 feet. 



13 M. CORDIFO'RMIS (St. Hil. fl. bras. 1. p. 160.) leaves heart- 

 shaped, acute, somewhat doubly-toothed, puberulous above, but 

 tomentose beneath ; heads of flowers axillary, stalked ; tube of 

 stamens 5-cleft at the apex. Tj . S. Native of Brazil in the pro- 

 vince of Minas Novas. Flowers pale-purple. 



Heart-leaved Melochia. Fl. June. Shrub 1 to 2 feet. 



14 M. PARVIFOLIA (H. B. et Kunth, nov. gen. amer. p. 325.) 

 leaves small, oblong or obovate-oblong, obtuse at both ends, 

 crenate-serrated, roughish above, but clothed with close-pressed 

 hairs beneath ; flowers crowded in umbels at the tops of the 

 branches. Tj . S. Native of South America in arid places near 

 Caraccas. Flowers white. 



Small-leaved Melochia. Fl. Jul. Aug. Clt. 1819. Sh. 1 1 ft. 



15 M. LANA'TA (St. Hil. fl. bras. 1. p. 167.) stem suffruti- 



