746 



MELASTOMACE^E. XXI. ERNESTIA. XXII. SIPHANTUERA. XXIII. RIIEXIA. 



XXI. ERNE'STIA (in honour of Ernest Meyer, author of 

 primitise Flora; Essequeboensis Gottingen. 4to. 1818.) D. C. 

 prod. 3. p. 121. 



LIN. SYST. Ocldndria, Monogynia. Calyx with a globose 

 tube, and 4 narrow acuminated lobes. Petals 4, obovate, ciliated. 

 Anthers triquetrous, drawn out at the base into 2 long bristles 

 each. Capsule 4-celled. Seeds unknown. Herb, with the 

 habit of Spennera, but differs in the form of the anthers, which 

 are anomalous in this genus, and in the capsule being 4-celled. 



1 E. TENE'LLA (D. C. 1. c.) 0. S. Native of New Granada, 

 on Mount Quindiu in shady places. Leaves cordate, oval, acu- 

 minated, setosely denticulated, 5-nerved. Flowers panicled, 

 octandrous. Calyx clothed with glandular pili ; tube ovate ; 

 lobes ovate, ending in long points. Petals obovate, white. 

 Genitals longer than the corolla. Style subclavate. 



Slender Ernestia. PI. \ to 1 foot. 



Cult. For culture and propagation see Spennera, p. 743. 



XXII. SIPHANTHE'RA (from mtyuv, siphon, a tube, and 

 uvj;pa, anthcra, an anther ; in reference to the anthers, which 

 terminate in a long tubular beak). Pohl. pi. bras. 1. p. 102. 

 D. C. prod. 3. p. 121. 



LIN. SYST. Tetrdndria, Monogynia. Calyx campanulate, 4- 

 toothed, girded by many bracteas ; bracteas permanent. Petals 

 4, orbicular. Stamens 4, exserted ; anthers oblong, furnished 

 with an obcordate ascending process at the base, and a tubular 

 beak at the apex. Ovarium adnate to the calyx at the base. 

 Style filiform. Capsule depressed, 2-celled, 2-valved, obcor- 

 date at the apex. Seeds numerous, oblong-ovate or ovate, rather 

 convex on one side, reticulated. Small elegant annual herbs, 

 clothed with glandular hairs. Leaves opposite, sessile, toothed, 

 feather-nerved. Flowers crowded into axillary and terminal 

 heads ; with rose coloured or white petals, and blue anthers. 



1 S. CORDA'TA (Pohl. pi. bras. 1. p. 183. t. 84.) leaves broad, 

 cordate, upper ones narrower, serrated, villous ; fascicles many- 

 rlowered, on short peduncles ; bracteas ovate, toothed, inner 

 ones narrow ; beak of anthers long and attenuated. 0. S. 

 Native of Brazil, in the province of Goyaz, in boggy meadows 

 on the tops of the mountains. Rhexia veronicaefolia, Mart. 

 herb. Stem reddish. Branches somewhat tetragonal. Petals 

 rose-coloured. 



Corrfate-leaved Siphanthera. PI. |- to 1 foot. 



2 S. TE'NERA (Pohl. pi. bras. 1. p. 104. t. 85. a.) leaves 

 roundish-ovate, unequally toothed ; fascicles of flowers on long 

 peduncles ; bracteas ovate, acute, terminated by a long hair 

 each; beaks of anthers very short. 0. S. Native of Brazil, 

 on the tops of mountains in the province of Goyaz. Branches 

 tetragonal. Petals white, spotted with red at the base. 



Tender Siphanthera. PI. i. foot. 



3 S. SU'BTILIS (Pohl. 1. c. p. 105. t. 85. f. b.) leaves oblong- 

 ovate, acutish, unequally denticulated ; fascicles of flowers on 

 long peduncles ; bracteas oblong, denticulated, terminated by a 

 long hair each ; beaks of anthers rather elongated. . S. Na- 

 tive of Brazil, in the province of Goyaz, on sandy parts of 

 mountains, particularly between Corimba and Rio St. Marcos. 

 Branches tetragonal. Corolla white. 



Subtile Siphanthera. PI. ^ foot. 



Cult. All 'the species are elegant little annual plants. Their 

 culture and propagation are the same as that for Spennera, 

 p. 743. 



XXIII. RHEXIA (from pn&e, rhexis, a rupture ; supposed 

 to cure by its astringent qualities). R. Br. ex D. Don, mem. 

 soc. wern. 4. p. 297. Nutt. gen. amer. 1. p. 244. Rhexia 

 >pecies, Lin. Bonpl. and Seringe. 



LIN. SYST. Ocldndria, Monogynia. Tube of calyx ovate and 



ventricose at the base (f. 109. .), but constricted at the neck 

 at the apex (f. 109. 6.) ; limb 4-cleft (f. 109. &.), permanent. 

 Petals 4, obovate. Stamens 8 (f. 109. c.). Anthers not drawn 

 out at the base. Capsule free in the bottom of the calyx, 4- 

 celled, with lunate pedicellate placentas. Seeds cochleate. 

 Smooth North American herbs. Stems erect, quadrangular. 

 Leaves sessile, quite entire, linear-lanceolate, or ovate, 3-nerved. 

 Flowers by threes, disposed in cymose corymbs, purple or yellow. 



FIG. 109. 



1 R. MARIA'NA (Lin. spec. 

 491.) stem terete, hairy ; leaves 

 on short petioles, lanceolate, acute 

 at both ends 3-nerved ; calyx 

 smoothish. 3. H. Native of 

 North America, in sandy woods 

 from New Jersey to Carolina ; 

 also in Maryland, and probably 

 in Louisiana, if R. Ludoviciana, 

 Rafin. fl. lud. p. 92. be the same. 

 Lodd. hot. cab. t. 366. Pluk. 

 aim. t. 428. f. 1. Lam. ill. t. 

 283. f. 1. 



J'ar. a, purpurea ; leaves nar- 

 row-lanceolate or oblong ; flow- 

 ers deep purple. Michx. fl. bor. 

 amer. 1. p. 221. 



Var. ft, rubella; leaves oval-oblong ; flowers pale red. Michx. 

 1. c. Sweet, fl. gard. t. 41. 



Maryland Rhexia. Fl. June, Aug. Clt. 1759. PI. to 

 1 foot. 



2 R. VIRGI'NICA (Lin. spec. p. 491.) stem tetragonal, smooth- 

 ish ; angles winged ; leaves sessile, oval-lanceolate, ciliately ser- 

 rated, 3-nerved, rather hispid, as well as the calyxes. Tj.. H. 

 Native of North America, from New York to Carolina, in bogs 

 and woods in humid places. Lam. ill. t. 283. f. 2. Sims, bot. 

 mag. t. 968. Flowers small, purple. 



Var. ft, septemnervia (Walt. fl. car. p. 130.) leaves 5-7-nerved. 

 I/. H. R. Virginica gigantea, Poir. diet. 6. p. 1. 



Virginian Rhexia. Fl. June, Aug. Clt. 1759. PI. foot. 



3 R. CILIOSA (Michx. fl. bor. amer. l.p. 221.) stem somewhat 

 quadrangular, smooth ; leaves on short petioles, oval, glabrous 

 beneath, but with a few hairs above and ciliated on the margins ; 

 flowers growing by threes, sessile, involucrated. 1{. H. Na- 

 tive of Lower Carolina, in marshes. Pursh, fl. amer. sept. 1. 

 t. 10. Sweet, fl. gard. 298. Pluk. amalth. t. 425. f. 4. ex Nutt. 

 gen. amer. 1. p. 243. R. petiolata, Walt. car. 130.? Leaves 

 small. Flowers large, reddish purple. Anthers short. Calyx 

 when in fruit rather globose at the base. 



Ciliated Rhexia. Fl. June, Aug. Clt. 1812. PI. ^ to If foot. 



4 R. SERRULA'TA (Nutt. gen. amer. 1. p. 243.) stem quad- 

 rangular, smooth ; leaves on short petioles, roundish-ovate, 

 smooth on both surfaces, rather ciliated at the base, and with the 

 margins serrated ; flowers pedunculate, ciliated ; calyx beset 

 with glandular hairs ; the lobes acute. I/. . H. Native of 

 Georgia and Florida, in open marshes. Very like R. ciliosa. 

 Flowers purple, stibcorymbose. 



Serrulated-leaved Rhexia. PI. f foot. 



5 R. GLABE'LLA (Michx. fl. bor. amer. 1. p. 222.) stems 

 terete, smooth ; leaves sessile, erect, lanceolate, smooth, finely 

 denticulated or entire (ex Nutt.) ; flowers subcorymbose ; calyx 

 beset with glandular hairs. I/. H. Native of Carolina and 

 Georgia, in sandy humid woods. Bonpl. rhex. t. 44. Flowers 

 large, pale purple. Root tuberous. 



Var. ft ; leaves obovate. R. Alifanus, Walt. car. p. 131. ex 

 Pursh, fl. bor. amer. 1. p. 258. 

 Smooth Rhexia. PI. 4 feet. 



6 R. STRI'CTA (Pursh, fl. amer. sept. 1. p. 258.) stem straight, 

 tetragonal, glabrous, but bearded at the joints ; angles winged ; 



