MELASTOMACE.E. XLI. PLEROMA. XLII. DIPLOSTEGIUM. XL1II. ACIOTIS. XLIV. CENTRADENIA. 



765 



teas 2 under each flower, ovate, villous on the outside and 

 brown inside. f? . S. Native of Peru. Melanoma ledifolia, 

 Desr. in Lam. diet. 4. p. 48. Tuhe of calyx beset with ad- 

 pressed bristles ; lobes 5, obtuse. Petals purple, ciliated. 

 Stamens with smooth filaments. Free part of ovarium conical, 

 rather bristly. 



I.cditm-lcaved Pleroma. Shrub. 



2 P. LA'XUM (D. C. 1. c.) branches nearly terete, and are as well 

 as the petioles beset with spreading bristles ; leaves ovate, rather 

 cordate, ending in a short acumen, ciliately serrated, beset with 

 scattered nearly adpressed bristles on the upper surface, but 

 villously tomentose beneath ; peduncles nearly opposite, axil- 

 lary, long, bifid at the apex: branches 3 -flowered; calyx very 

 villous. Ij . S. Native of Peru. Melastoma laxa, Desr. in 

 Lam. diet. 4. p. 41. Tube of calyx ovate; lobes 5, lanceo- 

 late-linear, about equal in length to the tube. Petals purple, 

 ciliated. Filaments glabrous. Anthers long, rather falcate, 

 beaked, each furnished with a long connective. Fruit baccate. 



Loose Pleroma. Shrub 3 to C feet. 



3 P. TRICHO'PODUM (D. C. 1. c.) branches from compressed to 

 tetragonal, rather hispid ; petioles hispid from villi ; leaves oval- 

 oblong, acuminated at both ends, 3-nerved, somewhat denticu- 

 lated, hardly pubescent above, pale beneath, and clothed with 

 adpressed bristles, especially on the nerves ; flowers solitary in 

 the axils of the upper leaves, and on the tops of the branches, 

 pedicellate ; bracteas 2, oval, involving the calyx, which is 

 bristly. Pj . S. Native of Brazil. Habit of Lasidndra, but 

 differs from that genus, in the stamens being glabrous, and in the 

 ovarium being aclnate to the calyx. 



Huiry-petloled Pleroma. Sh. 4 to G feet. 



4 P. VIMI'NEUM (D. Don, in mem. soc. wern. 4. p. 293.) leaves 

 ovate-lanceolate, acute, petiolate, and are as well as the branches 

 scabro.us, but canescent beneath ; calyx covered with glandular 

 hairs : having the segments lanceolate and mucronate. fj . S. Na- 

 tive of Brazil. Rhexia viminea, D. Don, in hot. reg. t. 664. 

 Spreng. syst. 2. p. 302. Flowers purple. Filaments smooth. 



Ttavgy Pleroma. Fl. Ju. Aug. Clt. 1821. Sh. 6 feet. 



5 P. HETEROMA'LLA (D. Don, 1. c.) leaves oval, cordate, pe- 

 tiolate, beset with flocky wool beneath ; calycine segments ob- 

 long, obtuse ; petals obcordate. ^ . S. Native of Brazil. 

 Melastoma heteromalla, D. Don, in bot. reg. t. 644. Sims, bot. 

 mag. 2337. Filaments short, glabrous, conniving. Anthers 

 arched at the base. Petals 5-6, purplish violet. Calyx pubes- 

 cent ; teeth deciduous. 



Hfteromallous Pleroma. Fl. July, Sept. Clt. 1819. Sh. 4 

 to 6 feet. 



6 P. VILLOSUM (D. C. prod. 3. p. 15:?.) branches terete, and 

 are, as well as the leaves, villous beneath ; leaves ovate, acute, 

 quite entire, villous, 5-nerved ; flowers terminal, few, peduncu- 

 late ; petals obovate, retuse, mucronate ; stamens 5 fertile and 

 5 sterile. 1? . S. Native of South America. Melastoma vil- 

 Idsum, Sims, bot. mag. t. 2630. Lodd. bot. cab. t. 853. but not 

 of Aubl. Filaments glabrous. 



Villous Pleroma. Fl. May, Ju. Clt. 1820. Sh. 3 to 4 ft. 



7 P. ? DIFFU'SUM (D. C. prod. 3. p. 152.) stems tetragonal, 

 decumbent, much branched, pilose ; leaves ovate, acute, 3- 

 nerved, serrated, pilose beneath ; flowers axillary, solitary, pedi- 

 cellate ; calyx globose, nearly naked : having lanceolate, mucro- 

 nate segments. f? . S. Native of Porto Rico. Melastoma 

 diffusa, Pav. ex D. Don, mem. wern. soc. 4. p. 291. Flowers 

 purple. 



Diffuse Pleroma. Sh. decumbent. 



8 P. ? MEXICA'NUM (D. C. prod. 3. p. 152.) stem erect, 

 branched, pilose ; leaves lanceolate, acuminated, 3-nerved, pilose 

 on both surfaces ; flowers 1-2, axillary or terminal ; calyx 

 pilose, with linear acute segments, fj . S. Native of Mexico. 



Melastoma aspera, Pav. in herb. Lamb. Melastoma Mexicana, 

 D. Don, in mem. wern. soc. 4. p. 290. 



Mexican Pleroma. Sh. 2 to 3 feet. 



Cult. For culture and propagation see Melastoma, p. 764. 



XLII. DIPLOSTEGIUM (from SurXooc, diploos, double, and 

 (rrtyoc, stegos, a covering ; in reference to the calyx, which is 

 inclosed in a double calyptra or covering). D. Don, in mem. 

 wern. soc. 4. p. 296. D. C. prod. 3. p. 152. 



Lix. SYST. Decdmlria, Monogynia. Limb of calyx 5-cleft, 

 permanent, inclosed in a double cucullatc hispid calyptra. Pe- 

 tals 5. Stamens 10 ; anthers nearly equal, biauriculate at the 

 base. Ovarium ? Stigma a pruinose dot. Capsule baccate, 

 5-celled. Seeds unknown. A Brazilian shrub. Stem terete, 

 densely beset with white pili. Leaves ovate, acute, quite entire, 

 petiolate, 5-nerved, clothed with silky pili beneath, but sca- 

 brous above. Peduncles terminal, trichotomous, 3-flowered. 

 Flowers large, red. 



1 D. CANE'SCENS (D. Don, 1. c.) T^ . S. Native of Brazil. 



Canescent Diplostegium. Sh. 



Cult. For culture and propagation see Melastoma, p. 764. 



XLIII. ACIO'TIS (from oi-ic, akis, a point, and ovs wrog, oils 

 otos, an ear ; in reference to the petals, which are obliquely awned). 

 D. Don, in mem. wern. soc. 4. p. 296. D. C. prod. 3. p. 152. 



LIN. SYST. Ocldndria, Monogynia. Tube of calyx globose, 

 fleshy; limb coarctatc, permanent, 4-lobed; petals 4, obliquely 

 awned at the apex. Stamens 8, with long connectives, and as if 

 they were jointed in the middle. Anthers erect, naked at the 

 base. Ovarium ? Capsule baccate, 4-celled. Seeds cochleate. 

 A West Indian, smoothish, green, suffruticose plant, with nu- 

 merous, erect, tetragonal, branched stems. Leaves petiolate, 

 elliptic-oblong, acuminated, 3-nerved, purple beneath, and of a 

 deep shining green above. Flowers small, red, disposed in spicate 

 racemes. Berry^lobose, purple, edible, with a grateful acid taste. 



1 A. DISCOLOR (D. Don, 1. c. p. 301.) Jj . S. Native of the 

 Island of St. Vincent. Rliexia bicolor, Anders, in herb. Lamb. 



Trvo-coloured-lea.veA Aciotis. Fl. July, Sept. Clt. 1816. 

 Sh. 1 foot. 



Cult. For culture and propagation see Melastoma, p. 764. 



XLIV. CENTRADE'NIA (from Kcvrpo,', kenlron, a spur, 

 and aor)v, aden, a gland ; in reference to the gland-formed spur 

 of the smaller stamens). Rhe\ia, nov. gen. Cham, et Schlecht. 

 in Linnsea. 5. p. 567. 



LIN. SYST. Octamlria, Monogynia. Calyx rather tetragonal, 

 campanulate, membranous, 8-nerved, rather pilose ; limb 4- 

 tootlied ; teeth broad, triangular, acute. Petals obovate, Sta- 

 mens 8, alternately smaller ; filaments glabrous ; anthers open- 

 ing by 1 pore, elliptic, those of the longer stamens drawn out 

 each into an emarginate cuneated copper-coloured spur or con- 

 nective, but the spurs of the smaller stamens are gland-formed. 

 Style short, smooth, crowned by a subcapitate stigma. Ovarium 

 free, crowned by one series of short bristles at the base of the 

 style. Capsule within the calyx 4-valved, 4-celled, at length 

 separating from the axis along with the dissepiments. Seeds 

 numerous, minute, clavately elliptic, echinated, brown : with a 

 terminal dot-formed hardly coloured hylum. An annual, 

 branched herb, with tetragonal pilose branches. Leaves oppo- 

 site each other, unequal in size, one of which being almost abor- 

 tive. Large leaves, oblong-lanceolate, acute, on short petioles, 

 unequal-sided, quite entire, ciliated, triple-nerved, pale beneath, 

 2 inches long, and 5 lines broad. Racemes few-flowered, axil- 

 lary. Flowers on longish pedicels, small, white. 



1 C. IN^EQU^LATERA'LIS. Q. S. Native of Mexico, in 

 Cuesta Grande de Chiconquiaco. Rhexia inaequaelateralis, Cham. 

 et Schlecht. 1. c. 



