MEMECYLE.E. I. MEMECYLOX. II. SCUTULA. III. MOURIRIA. COMBRETACE^E. 



655 



t. 15. Flowers purple. Fruit globose, ex Blum. Perhaps many 

 species are confused under this name. 

 Great Memecylon. Tree 10 to 12 feet. 



14 M. CORDATUM (Lam. diet. 4. p. 89. ill. t. 284. f. 2.) 

 branches nearly terete ; leaves sessile, cordate at the base, stem- 

 clasping, ovate ; peduncles axillary, branched ; fruit crowned 

 by the largish, bluntly 4-toothed limb of the calyx. f? . S. 

 Native of the East Indies and the Mauritius. 



Var. a, pedunculbswn (D. C. prod. 2. p. 7.) peduncles nearly 

 equal in length to the leaves ; leaves smaller. I; . S. Native 

 of the East Indies. 



Var. /3, brevipes (D. C. 1. c.) peduncles much shorter than 

 the leaves ; leaves larger. ^ . S. Native of the Mauritius. 



Corrfate-leaved Memecylon. Shrub 4 to 5 feet. 



15 M. FE'RREUM (Blum, bijdr. p. 1095.) branches terete? 

 leaves petiolate, oval, very blunt, sometimes retuse, attenuated 

 at the base, coriaceous, veinless ; umbels corymbose, axillary ; 

 fruit globose. fj . S. Native of Java, on the mountains. 



Iron Memecylon. Shrub 4 to 5 feet. 



16 M. CINNAMOMIOIDES ; leaves elliptic, obtusely acuminated, 

 3-nerved, glabrous, attenuated at the base ; peduncles axillary, 

 aggregate, longer than the petioles, umbellate, few-flowered. 

 I? . S. Native of Sierra Leone, (v. s. herb. Lamb.) 



Cinnamon-like Memecylon. Shrub 5 to 6 feet. 



17 M. AFZE'LII; leaves elliptic, attenuated 'at both ends, 

 coriaceous, 1-nerved, ending in a long acumen at the apex; pe- 

 duncles twin or tern, axillary ; flowers umbellate. fj S. Na- 

 tive of Sierra Leone, (v. s. herb. Lamb.) 



Afzel'ms's-\ea.\e&. Memecylon. Shrub 5 to 6 feet. 



18 M. BLACKIOI'DES ; leaves large, sessile, very broad, coria- 

 ceous, strongly 3-nerved, the lateral veins running into a mar- 

 ginal nerve ; corymbs compound, pedunculate, axillary. Tj . S. 

 Native of Sierra Leone, in the woods in the low lands. 



Blackia-like Memecylon. Shrub G to 10 feet. 



Cult. A mixture of sand, loam, and peat suits the species 

 of Memecylon. Young cuttings, planted in a pot of sand, with 

 a hand-glass placed over them in heat root freely. 



II. SCU'TULA (from scuiula, a little saucer ; form of the 

 limb of the calyx). Lour. coch. p. 235. D. C. prod. 3. p. 7. 



LIN. SYST. Octo-Decdndria, Monogijnia. Calyx with the 

 tube adhering to the ovary, and with a truncate, spreading, fleshy, 

 saucer-formed limb. Petals 4-5, connivent, seated on the 

 border of the calyx. Stamens 8-10, with inflexed filaments and 

 curved oblong anthers. Style filiform, simple at the apex. 

 Berry 8-celled ; cells 1 -seeded. Seed compressed. Small 

 smooth trees, with opposite, lanceolate, quite entire leaves ; and 

 axillary and terminal peduncles, bearing blue or violaceous 

 flowers. This genus is probably not distinct from Memecylon. 



1 S. SCUTELLA'TA (Lour. 1. c.) peduncles axillary, many- 

 flowered; berries compressed. Tj . G. Native of Cochin-china. 

 Flowers and fruit violaceous. 



Saucer-calyxed Scutula. Shrub 8 feet. 



2 S. UMBELLA'TA (Lour. 1. c.) umbels terminal ; berries 

 roundish, f? . G. Native of Cochin-china. Flowers white 

 and party-coloured. 



Umbellate-fiowered Scutula. Shrub 4 feet. 



Cult. See Memecylon for culture and propagation. 



III. MOURI'RIA (Mourmchira is the Guiana name of M. 

 Guianensis). Juss. gen. 320. Lam. ill. t. 360. D. C. prod. 2. 

 p. 7. Mouriri, Aubl. guian. 1. p. 452. t. ISO. Petaloma, 

 Swartz, prod. p. 73. fl. ind. occ. 2. p. 831. t. 14. 



LIN. SYST. Decdndria, Monogynia. Calyx furnished with 

 2 scales at the base ; tube adhering to the ovary ; limb urceo- 

 late, 5-cleft. Petals 5, broad at the base, inserted near the 



apex of the calyx, and alternating with its teeth, twisted in 

 aestivation. Stamens 10, rather unequal. Anthers oblong, open- 

 ing by 2 pores at the apex. Ovary nearly globose. Style fili- 

 form. Stigma capitate. Berry globose, crowned by the coarc- 

 tate toothed tube of the calyx, 1-4-celled, 1-4-seeded. Gla- 

 brous shrubs with nodose branches, opposite, feather-nerved, 

 acute, quite entire, coriaceous leaves, and axillary peduncles. 

 This genus is allied to Melastomacece, according to Richard, but 

 according to R. Brown and E. Meyer it is intermediate between 

 Myrtacece and Melastomacece ; with the first it agrees in the 

 elevated dots and feather nerves of the leaves, and with the last 

 in the structure of the anthers. 



1 M. MYRTILLOI'DES (Poir. diet. sc. nat. 33. p. 163.) leaves 

 almost sessile, ovate, attenuated, oblique at the base ; pedicels 

 solitary, 1-flowered. Pj . S. Native of Hispaniola and Ja- 

 maica, in woods in the lowlands. Petaloma myrtilloides, Swartz, 

 fl. ind. occ. 2. p. 833. t. 14. Sloane, hist. 2. p. 78. t. 87. f. 3. 

 Flowers white. Berry ovate, black, 1, rarely 2-seeded, and 1- 

 celled, ex Swartz. The bark is smooth and grey, with some 

 very white spots, whence its name of silver-wood. The wood is 

 hart!, tough, heavy, and good for looms, handles, staves for 

 oars, &c. 



Myrtle-like Silver-wood. Clt. 1823. Shrub 2 to 3 feet. 



2 M. GUIANE'NSIS (Aubl. guian. 1. p. 453. t. 180.) leaves 

 on short petioles, ovate, acuminated, feather-nerved ; peduncles 

 crowded in the axils of the leaves, 1 or few-flowered ; style fili- 

 form. lj . S. Native of Guiana, in woods at the river Sinimari, 

 where it is called Mottrichira. Lam. ill. t. 360. Petaloma 

 Mouriri, Swartz, fl. ind. occid. 835. Flowers yellow. Berry 

 globose, yellow, dotted with red, 1 -celled, 4-seeded. ex Aubl. 

 Wood hard and whitish. 



Guiana Silver-wood. Clt. 1817. Shrub 3 to 4 feet. 



3 M. CAULIFLORA (D. C. prod. 2. p. 7.) leaves nearly sessile, 

 ovate, much acuminated, somewhat cordate at the base ; pedun- 

 cles rising in umbellate fascicles from the old trunk. fj . S. 

 Native of Brazil, in woods. Petaloma cauliflora, Mart. mss. 

 Trunk straight ; branches horizontal. Petals white. Filaments 

 of a rose white colour, ex Mart. Young fruit 5-celled, or only 

 2-4-celled from abortion. 



Stem-flowered Silver-wood. Tree 10 to 12 feet. 



4 M. GRAND1FI.6RA (D. C. prod. 2. p. 8.) leaves on short 

 petioles, ovate, acuminated, feather-nerved ; peduncles short, 

 few-flowered, crowded at the axils along the branches ; style 

 compressed. I? . S. Native of Para, in Brazil. Petals oval, 

 attenuated at the base, thick, rather coriaceous. Anthers large. 



Great-flowered Mouriria. Shrub 3 to 4 feet. 



f Species not sufficiently known. 



5 M. MEXICA'NA (Moc. et Sesse, fl. mex. icon. ined. ex D. C. 

 prod. 3. p. 8.). Tj . S. Native of Mexico. Like M. Guia- 

 nensis, but the petals are rose-coloured ; anthers hardly acute 

 at the base, and the berries are red and 4-celled. 



Mexican Silver-wood. Shrub. 



Cult. See Memecylon for culture and propagation. 



ORDER LXXXIX. COMBRETA'CE^E (plants agreeing with 

 Combretum in important characters). R. Br. nov. holl. 1. p. 

 351. in a note, Rich, in diet, class. 4. p. 353. D. C. diss. ined. 

 in soc. hist. nat. gen. prod. 3. p. 9. Myrobal&neae, Juss. diet, 

 sci. nat. 31. p. 458. 



Flowers hermaphrodite, rarely polygamous from abortion. 

 Calyx with the tube adhering to the ovary (f. 88. a.) ; and with 

 a 4-5-lobed (f. 88. e. c. f. 89. a.) limb, which falls off as the 

 flower decays. Petals sometimes wanting (f. 88. e.), but usually 



