732 



MELASTOMACEyE. I. MERIANIA. 



73 CREOCHI'TON. Tube of calyx globose, adhering to the 

 ovarium ; limb short, obsoletely 4-toothecl, permanent. Petals 4. 

 Stamens 8, equal. Anthers long, thick, arched, beaked, api- 

 culated at the base by a short connective each. Ovarium gla- 

 brous. Berry dry, globose, 4-celled. 



74 PHYLLAGA'THIS. Tube of calyx oblong, glabrous, adher- 

 ing to the ovarium at the base ; limb 4-cleft, drawn out beyond 

 the ovarium. Petals 4. Stamens 8, equal. Anthers arched, 

 beaked at the apex, but unappendiculate at the base. 



75 LORE'YA. Calyx campanulate, truncate at the apex, only 

 adhering to the ovarium at the very base. Petals 5. Stamens 

 10. Anthers thick, ovate, obtuse, somewhat gibbous at the 

 base. Berry 5-celled. 



76 MICONIA. Limb of calyx short, 5-toothed. Petals 5. 

 Stamens 10. Anthers oblong-linear, shortly and bluntly auri- 

 culated at the base. Berry 5-celled. 



77 OXY'MERIS. Calyx obovate-turbinate ; teeth 5, callous, 

 very short. Petals 5. Stamens 10, equal. Anthers oval-ob- 

 long, obtuse, tapering to the base : having their connectives fili- 

 form, short, and rather gibbous at the base. Berry 3-5-celled. 



78 CREMA'NIUM. Tube of calyx campanulate or obovate ; 

 limb 4-5-toothed. Petals 4-5. Stamens 10, equal. Anthers 

 short, rather cuneated at the base, opening by 2 pores at the 

 apex. Berry 3-5-celled. 



79 BLA'KEA. Calyx campanulate, girded at the base by 

 4-6 broad scales, which are disposed cruciately or in a triple 

 order ; limb membranous, 6-lobed, or 6-toothed. Petals 6. 

 Anthers large, twisted into a ring, obtuse at the apex, and open- 

 ing by 2 pores, and furnished with a short spur-like process at 

 the base. Berry crowned by the calyx, 6-celled. 



SUB-ORDER II. CHAHIA'HTHSJS. Antlters Z-celled, bursting 

 longitudinally by 2 chinks (f. 113. <-.). Fruit fleshy. Seeds 

 cuneated, angular. 



80 KIBE'SSIA. Limb of calyx falling off in the form of a 

 calyptra. Petals 4. Stamens 8. Ovarium muricated by 

 branched bristles. Fruit indehiscent, 4-celled. 



81 EWY'CKIA. Tube of calyx hemispherical, adhering to the 

 ovarium ; limb truncate, obsoletely 4-toothed. Petals 4. Sta- 

 mens 8, equal. Anthers oblong, obtuse at both ends, furnished 

 each at the base with a short fleshy connective. Berry glo- 

 bose, 4-celled. 



82 CHARIA'NTHUS. Tube of calyx ovate, rather urceolate ; 

 (f. 113. a.) limb 4-lobed. Petals 4. (f. 113. 6.) Stamens 8. 

 Ovarium adnate to the calyx (f. 113 c.). Berry globose, umbi- 

 licate, 4-celled. 



83 CII.ENOPLEU V RA. Calyx adnate to the ovarium ; limb 

 bluntly 5-toothed. Petals 5. Stamens 10. Anthers bluntly 

 biauriculate aftbebase. Berry 3-4-celled. 



84 ASTRONIA. Calyx adnate to the ovarium ; limb 5-6- 

 toothed. Petals 5-6. Stamens 10-12 ; filaments compressed. 

 Berry dry, umbilicate, 2-4-celled. 



SUB-ORDER I. MELASTOME/E (plants agreeing with Meldstoma, 

 in the anthers opening by pores at the apex). Ser. in D. C. 

 prod. 3. p. 100. Anthers bursting by 1 or 2 pores at the apex. 



Tribe I. 



LAVOISIE'RE^E (plants agreeing with the genus Lavoisiera 

 in the characters mentioned below). D. C. prod. 3. p. 100. 

 Anthers bursting by 1 or 2 pores at the apex. Ovarium free 

 from the calyx, neither scaly nor bristly at the apex. Capsule 

 dry. Seeds ovate or angular, never cochleate, with a lateral linear 

 hilum. American plants. 



I. MERIA'NIA (in honour of Maria, Sybylla Merian, or 

 GrsefRn, authoress of De Metamorphosibus Insectorum Suri- 

 namensium). Swartz, fl. ind. occ. 2. p. 824. t. 15. D. Don, 

 Wern. mem. soc. 4. p. 322. Wrightia, Sol. mss. but not of 

 Brown. Rhexia species, Swartz, prod. Ser. mss. 



LIN. SYST. Decdndria, Monogynia. Calyx with a campa- 

 nulate tube, and a 5-6-lobed limb (f. 108. 6.); lobes broad, 

 dilated, and membranous at the base and subulate at the apex. 

 Petals 5-6. (f. 108. d.) Stamens 10-12. Anthers obtuse at the 

 apex, and bursting by 2 pores, furnished with 2 short processes 

 at the base. Ovarium globose, rather depressed, glabrous at the 

 apex. Style filiformly-clavate. Capsule free, 5-6-celled; pla- 

 centas lunate. Seeds small, cuneately angular. Trees or shrubs, 

 native of Jamaica or South America. Leaves petiolate, denticu- 

 lated, glabrous, or hardly downy on the nerves. Flowers large, 

 pedicellate, solitary, axillary, white, or purple. 



1 M. LEUCA'NTHA (Swartz, fl. ind. occ. p. 826.) branches 

 tetragonally compressed, glabrous ; leaves petiolate, ovate-ob- 

 long, acuminated, 3-nerved, denticulated, glabrous ; peduncles 

 axillary, solitary ; bracteas 2, under each flower, ovate-lanceo- 

 late, 3-nerved, quite entire ; tube of calyx campanulate, 5- 

 lobed ; lobes broad at the base and subulate at the apex. fy . S. 

 Native of the higher mountains of Jamaica. Rhexia leucantha, 

 Swartz, prod. 61. Rhexia speciosa, Bert, in herb. Balb. Petals 

 white, reddish at the base. Anthers large, appendiculated by a 

 short horn. 



White-flowered Jamaica Rose. 



2 M. RO'SEA (Tuss. fl. ant. p. 

 78. t. 1.) branches terete, gla- 

 brous ; leaves petiolate, oval, 3- 

 nerved, rather serrulated, gla- 

 brous ; pedicels axillary, 1 -flow- 

 ered, longer than the petioles ; 

 bracteas 2, linear, rather dilated 

 at the apex. fj . S. Native of 

 Jamaica. Flowers rose-coloured, 

 drying black. This species dif- 

 fers from M. purpurea in there 

 being only 2 bracteas under each 

 flower, not 4 ; from M. leucantha 

 in the colour of the flowers, and 

 from both in the form of the 

 bracteas. 



Rose- coloured -flowered Ja- 

 maica Rose. Shrub 6 feet. 



3 M. PURPU'REA (Swartz, fl. ind. occ. p. 826.) branches 

 terete, glabrous ; leaves petiolate, ovate-lanceolate, denticulated, 

 glabrous ; peduncles axillary, opposite, longer than the petioles ; 

 bracteas 4, under each flower, lanceolate, denticulated ; tube of 

 calyx campanulate, 5-lobcd ; lobes broad at the base and subu- 

 late at the apex. fj . S. Native of Jamaica, on the tops of the 

 mountains. Rhexia purpurea, Swartz, prod. p. 61. Flowers 

 purple or blood-coloured. Leaves brownish-green. 



Purple Jamaica Rose. Clt. 1825. Shrub 6-10 feet. 



4 M. OBTUSIFOLIA (D. C. prod. 3. p. 101.) quite glabrous; 

 branches nearly terete ; leaves on short petioles, elliptic, obtuse, 

 somewhat emarginate, coriaceous, 3-nerved, besides 2 small, mar- 

 ginal nervules, denticulated ; pedicels axillary, 1 -flowered ; brac- 

 teas obovate, 3-nerved, denticulated, 4 under each flower. 17 . S. 

 Native of St. Domingo. Melastoma involucrata, Desv. in Lam. 



Clt. 1825. Tree 15-30 feet. 

 FIG. 108. 



