BYTTNERIACE^E. XIV. MELOCHIA. XV. RIEDLEIA. 



529 



cose, erect, branched, woolly, canescent ; leaves ovate-ellip- 

 tical, toothed, quite entire at the base, silky-villous above, but 

 woolly and hoary beneath ; heads of flowers stalked, opposite 

 the leaves, dense ; tube of stamens profoundly 5-cleft. fj . S. 

 Native of Brazil in the province of Minas Geraes, near Olho 

 d'Agoa. 



Var, ft, inclusa (St. Hil. 1. c.) leaves narrower, elliptic, less 

 woolly ; heads of flowers less woolly ; stamens inclosed ; petals 

 much smaller ; style a little longer than the petals. 



Woolly Melochia. Fl. Sep. Oct. Shrub 1 to 2 feet. 



16 M. PORTORICE'NSIS (Spreng. syst. 3. p. 29.) leaves oblong, 

 obtuse, crenated, hoary tomentose on both surfaces ; peduncles 

 umbelliferous, short. ^ S. Native of Porto-Rico. M. cre- 

 nata, Bertero. 



Porto-Rico Melochia. Shrub 1 to 2 feet. 



Cult. Melochia is a genus of plants hardly worth cultivating 

 except in botanic gardens. They thrive well in any light rich 

 soil, and cuttings root readily in the same kind of soil under a 

 hand-glass, in heat. They may be also increased by seeds, 

 which generally ripen in this country. 



XV. RIEDLEIA (in honour of M. Riedle, a French natu- 

 ralist, who accompanied Captain Baudin round the world.) D. 

 C. prod. 1. p. 490. Riedleia, Vent, choix. no. 37. Mouge6tia, 

 Kunth. diss. p. 12. nov. gen. amer. 5. p. 326. Visenia, Houtt. 

 Pfl. syst. 6. p. 287. Spreng. syst. 3. p. 29. 



LIN. SYST. Monadelfihia, Pent&ndria, Calyx 5-cleft, naked, 

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

 Stamens 5, monadelphous at the base. Styles 5. Carpels 5, 

 joined into a simple fruit, which is therefore 5-celled and 5- 

 valved, at length separating into 5 1-2-seeded divisions, which 

 open longitudinally, and are free from the central axis. Inflores- 

 cence various. Flowers small, white, yellow or red. 



1 R. POLYSTA'CHIA (D. C. prod. 1. p. 490.) leaves oblong, 

 acute, blunt and serrated at the base, pubescent above, but 

 beset with silky hairs beneath, as well as on the branchlets ; 

 panicle terminal, leafless, of many stalked cymose or side- 

 flowered racemes. $ , S. Native of South America near 

 Honda at the river Magdalena. Mougeotia polystachia, H. B. 

 et Kunth, nov. gen. amer. 5. p. 328. t. 483. f. a and b. Flowers 

 yellow. 



Many-spiked Riedleia. Fl. July, Aug. Clt. 1827. PL 2 

 to 3 feet. 



2 R. CHAM.E V DRYS ; stems prostrate, hairy ; leaves ovate or 

 roundish-ovate, very blunt, dentately serrated, pilose, younger 

 ones silky ; racemes sub-corymbose, axillary ; tube of stamens 

 profoundly 5-cleft ; capsule globose, composed of 5 bifid car- 

 pels. J; . S. Native of Brazil. Melochia chamae'drys, St. Hil. 

 fl. bras. 1. p. 161. Flowers yellow. 



Germander-Yike Riedleia. Fl. Jan. PI. prostrate. 



3 R. MO'LLIS (D. C. prod. 1. p. 491.) leaves ovate, acute, 

 rounded and somewhat cordate at the base, serrated, clothed 

 with silky pubescence above, but hoary from soft tomentum be- 

 neath ; umbels axillary, many-flowered, much longer than the 

 petioles. fj . S. Native of South America near Honda and 

 Santanna in New Granada. Mougeotia mollis, H. B. et Kunth, 

 1. c. Petals white, but yellow towards the middle. 



Soft Riedleia. Shrub 1 to 2 feet. 



4 R. TILLEFO'LIA (D. C. prod. 1. p. 491.) leaves cordate, 

 toothed, younger ones clothed with velvety tomentum, adult ones 

 smooth ; corymbs terminal, many-flowered ; fruit velvety, blunt- 

 ly 5-sided. \i . S. Native of the island of Timor. Habit 

 almost of R. odorata or R. velutina. 



Lime-tree-leaved Riedleia. Shrub 2 feet. 



5 R. CRENA'TA (D. C. prod. 1. p. 491.) leaves roundish, cre- 

 nated, tomentose, lined ; umbels stalked, axillary, and terminal. 



VOL. i. PART. vi. 



Tj . S. Native of South America. Melochia crenata, Vahl. 

 symb. 3. p. 86. t. 68. Flowers white or yellow. 

 CVenafe-leaved Riedleia. Shrub. 



6 R. ODORA'TA (D. C. prod. 1. p. 491.) leaves ovate, some- 

 what cordate, doubly serrated, acute, smooth ; corymbs axillary, 

 stalked. T? . S. Native of the islands of Tanna and Tongataboo 

 in the South Seas. Melochia odorata, Forst. prod. 253. 

 Wisenia I'ndica, Gmel. syst. 505. Visenia I'ndica, Houtt. pfl. syst. 

 6. t. 46. f. 3. Flowers white or red. 



Sweet-scented Riedleia. Shrub. 



7 R. VELUTI NA (D. C. prod. 1. p. 491.) lower leaves cordate, 

 upper ones ovate, acuminate, simply serrated, soft and velvety on 

 both surfaces ; corymbs axillary, stalked, few-flowered. ^ . S. 

 Native of Bengal and Java. Very like R. odordta. Flowers 

 probably red or white. 



Velvety Riedleia. Fl. June, July. Clt. 1823. Shrub 1 to 2 ft. 



8 R. CQRYMBOSA (Moc. et Sesse, fl. mex. icon. ined. D. C. 

 prod. 1. p. 491.) leaves cordate, orbicular, acuminated at the 

 apex, villous ; corymbs axillary, loose, stalked. Jj . S. Native 

 of Mexico on mountains. Flowers purple, twice the size of those 

 of R. odorata. 



Corymbose-fiovrereA Riedleia. Shrub 3 feet. 



9 R. TRUNCA'TA (D. C. prod. 1. p. 491.) leaves wedge-shaped, 

 toothed at the apex, smooth above, hoary from stellate tomentum 

 beneath ; flowers solitary ; capsules depressed. Jj . S. Native 

 of the East Indies. Melochia truncata, Willd. spec. 3. p. 601. 

 Flowers white or flesh-coloured. 



7'runcaterf-leaved Riedleia. Fl. June, July. Clt. 1817. 

 Shrub 2 feet. 



10 R. DEPRE'SSA (D. C. prod. 1. p. 491.) leaves ovate, ser- 

 rated, velvety-tomentose ; pedicels 1-3-flowered, opposite the 

 leaves ; capsules bluntly 5-sided, with ciliated angles, fj . S. 

 Native of the island of Cuba near Havannah, and of St. Martha. 

 Melochia depressa, Lin. spec. 910. exclusive of the synonyme of 

 Miller. Cav. diss. 6. p. 320. t. 173. f. 1. a. differs from ours 

 in the stipulas being spreading, lanceolate, not erect subovate. 

 Pedicels shorter, axillary, 1 -flowered. Flowers flesh-coloured, 

 but according to Cavanilles sulphur-coloured. 



Depressed Riedleia. Fl. June, July. Clt. 1817. Shrub ft. 



11 R. PERUVIA'NA (D. C. prod. 1. p. 491.) leaves ovate, ser 

 rated, tomentose ; flowers solitary, axillary ; capsules globose, 

 villous. Tj . S. Native of Peru. Melochia Peruviana, Desrous. 

 in diet, encyl. 4. p. 83. Stem shrubby, dwarf. Flowers citron- 

 coloured. 



Peruvian Riedleia. Shrub 2 feet. 



12 R. SUPI'NA (D. C. prod. 1. p. 491.) leaves ovate, serrated ; 

 flowers capitate; stems procumbent. () S. Native of the 

 East Indies. Melochia suplna, Lin. spec. 944. Pluk. aim. t. 

 132. f. 4. Flowers red. 



Trailing Riedleia. Fl. June, July. Clt. 1823. PI. trailing. 



13 R. CORCHORIFO'LIA (D. C. prod. 1. p. 491.) leaves ovate, 

 somewhat 3-lobed, serrated, smooth ; flowers generally terminal, 

 capitate, sessile. O. S. Native of Ceylon and Java. Melo- 

 chia corchorifolia, Lin. spec. 944. Cav. diss. 6. p. 321. t. 174. 

 f. 2 Dill. elth. t. 1 76. f. 217. Corolla pale-purple, with a yel- 

 low bottom. 



Corchorus-leaved Riedleia. Fl. June, July. Clt. 1733. PI. 1 ft. 



14 R. RADIA'TA (Blum, bijdr. exSchlecht. Linnsea. 1. p. 655.) 

 leaves ovate-lanceolate, acuminated, serrated, rather pubescent 

 on the midrib on both surfaces ; lower leaves ovate, sublobate ; 

 spikes umbellate, terminal. O ? S. Native of Java. 



Rayed Riedleia. PI. 1 to 2 feet. 



15 R. INFLA'TA (D. C. prod. 1. p. 491.) leaves ovate, some- 

 what acuminated, obsoletely cordate, doubly-serrated, clothed on 

 both surfaces with close-pressed hairs ; peduncles axillary, trifid, 

 many-flowered, one-half shorter than the petioles. "%. ? S. Na- 



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