768 



MELASTOMACE^E. XLVIII. CLIDEMIA. 



XLVIII. CLIDE'MIA (in honour of Clidemi, an ancient 

 Greek botanist). D. Don, in mem. soc. wern. 4. p. S06. D. C. 

 prod. 3. p. 155. 



LIN. SVST. Decandria, Monogynia. Tube of calyx ovate, 

 naked, rarely bracteate at the base ; lobes 5, permanent, narrow, 

 acute. Petals 5, rarely 6. Stamens 10; anthers constricted at 

 the base, and rather biauriculate, opening by one pore at the 

 apex. Ovarium adnate to the calyx, usually crowned by a 

 circle of bristles at the apex. Style filiform ; stigma a pruinose 

 dot. Capsule baccate, 5-celled. Seeds ovate or rather angular, 

 not cochleate, nor appendiculated. Hispid or hairy shrubs, 

 native of South America. Leaves usually crenated, 3-7-nerved. 

 Flowers axillary and terminal. This genus is easily distin- 

 guished from the rest of the genera of the present order by the 

 habit, but the species are difficult to define. Perhaps the species 

 with obtuse petals are separable from those with acute petals. 



1. Axillares. Flowers in axillary panicles or spikes. 

 * Flowers crowded, almost sessile. 



1 C. AGGREGA'TA (D. Don, in mem. soc. wern. 4. p. 309.) 

 leaves elliptic, quite entire, acute at both ends, and are, as well 

 as the branches, pilose ; flowers axillary, verticillate, almost ses- 

 sile. Jj . S. Native of Peru. 



Aggregate-fionered Clidemia. Sh. 1 to 2 feet. 



2 C. SKRI'CEA (D, Don, 1. c.) leaves oval, acute, crenated, 5- 

 nerved, clothed with silky villi on both surfaces ; flowers soli- 

 tary, axillary, verticillate, scaly at the base. Tj . S. Native of 

 Peru. The rest unknown. 



Silky Clidemia. Sh. 2 to 3 feet. 



3 C. CONFERTIFLORA (D. C. prod. 3. p. 156.) branches terete, 

 densely clothed with retrograde villi ; leaves on long petioles, 

 oval, acute, nearly entire, villous beneath, and beset with short 

 bristles above, 7-nerved ; nerves crowded above the base of the 

 leaves ; panicles axillary, crowded, very short ; tube of calyx 

 very hairy. f? S. Native of Brazil, near Rio Janeiro, in 

 woods. Melastoma aggreg&tum, Schrank et Mart. mss. Pe- 

 tioles an inch long, covered with spreading down. Seta long, 

 yellow-. Lobes of calyx 5, hardly distinct. Petals oval-lanceo- 

 late, flesh-coloured, but red in the middle. Anthers oval, fur- 

 nished with filiform connectives. Style filiform. 



Crowded-flowered Clidemia. Sh. 3 to 4 feet. 



4 C. RETBoriLA (D. C. 1. c.) branches hairy, beset with ru- 

 fous retrograde pili ; petioles very hairy ; leaves oval, acumi- 

 nated, serrulated, quintuple-nerved, hairy or downy on botli 

 surfaces ; nerves rather distant from the base ; flowers in almost 

 sessile clusters in the axils of the leaves ; calyx hispid, 5-cleft. 

 ^ . S. Native of Brazil. Petioles 5 lines long, rufous from 

 spreading down. Lobes of calyx 5, setaceous. 



Bent-haired Clidemia. Sh. 2 to 3 feet. 



5 C. MARGINA'TA (D. C. 1. c.) branches nearly terete, and are, 

 as well as the petioles, clothed with small short powdery velvety 

 down ; leaves petiolate, elliptic, acuminated, ciliated, triple- 

 nerved, besides the marginal nervules, downy beneath, but beset 

 with scattered bristles above ; racemes few-flowered, axillary, 

 3 times shorter than the petiole ; calyx very hispid, 5-cleft. fj . 

 S. Native of Brazil, near Rio Janeiro, on the mountains in 

 woods. Melastoma marginata, Desr. in Lam. diet. 4. p. 32. 

 Melast. Januarensis, Schrank et Mart. mss. Flowers and fruit 

 not sufficiently examined. 



Margined-lcaved Clidemia. Sh. 3 to 4 feet. 



6 C. AMYGDAUHDES (D. C. 1. c.) branches tetragonal, and 

 are, as well as the petioles and panicles, clothed with stiff bris- 

 tles ; leaves petiolate, oblong, acuminated, 3-5-nerved, some- 

 what crenulated, villous on both surfaces ; panicles axillary, 

 short, few-flowered ; calyx very hispid, 5-lobed ; lobes bearing 

 small stellate down on the inside. t? . S. Native of Brazil, in 



woods on mount Cercovado, near Rio Janeiro. Melastoma amyg- 

 daloides, Schrank et Mart. mss. Leaves almost triple-nerved, 

 3 inches long, and 8-9 lines broad. Petals white, oblongly trian- 

 gular, acute. 



Almond-like Clidemia. Sh. 4 to 6 feet. 



7 C. ? BRACHYSTA'CHYA (D.C. I.e.) branches terete, and arc, 

 as well as the petioles, densely hispid ; leaves petiolate, elon- 

 gately linear, acuminated, 3-nerved, ciliately serrated, bristly on 

 the middle nerve above, the rest glabrous, but covered with long 

 bristles beneath ; spikes hispid, axillary, shorter than the pe- 

 tioles. 1? . S. Native of Brazil, in the province of Rio Ja- 

 neiro, in woods. Rhexia spicata, Schrank et Mart. mss. Very 

 near C. amygdaloldes. Fruit globose, hairy, crowned by the 5 

 short acute lobes of the calyx. Flowers not seen. 



Short- spiked Clidemia. Sh. 1 to 2 feet. 



8 C. CONGLOMERA'TA (D. C. 1. c.) branches terete, hispid from 

 thick branched hairs ; petioles clothed with the same kind of 

 hairs ; leaves ovate, attenuated at the base, acuminated at the apex, 

 irregularly crenated and ciliated, 5 -nerved, glabrous except on the 

 nerves, membranous ; flowers in terminal and axillary, almost 

 sessile clusters ; calyx beset with violaceous hairs, with 5 lobes, 

 each ending in a plumose bunch of bristles. ^7 . S. Native of 

 Cayenne, in woods. A very beautiful species, allied to C. pur- 

 piirta. Melastoma conglomerata, Rich. herb. 



Conglomerate-fiowered Clidemia. Sh. 1 to 2 feet. 



9 C. ERYTHROPOGON (D. C. prod. 3. p. 157.) branches terete, 

 and are, as well as the petioles, hairy ; leaves petiolate, oval-acu- 

 minated, denticulated, 5-nerved, beset with scattered stiff hairs 

 on both surfaces ; racemes axillary, almost sessile, 3-flowered ; 

 calyx very hispid from red bristles, with 6 setaceous lobes. (7 . 

 S. Native of Jamaica. Melastoma sessilifolium, Spreng. syst. 

 2. p. 295. ? Petals and stamens not seen. 



Red-bearded Clidemia. Sh. 3 to 4 ft. 



* * Peduncles axillary, 1 -flowered. 



10 C. CILIA TA (D.Don, mem. soc. wern. 4. p. 309.) leaves 

 cordate, acute, crenated, almost sessile, pilose above, densely 

 clothed with stellate tomentum beneath ; calyx tomentose. Tj . 

 S. Native of Pern. Melastoma ciliata, Pav. in herb. Lamb, 

 but not of Desr. nor Rich. Perhaps belonging to a different 

 section. 



Ciliated-leaved Clidemia. Sh. 2 to 3 feet. 



11C. CAPILLA'RIS (D. Don, 1. c. p. 308.) leaves elliptic, cre- 

 nulated, 3-nerved, acuminated, clothed with silky villi on both 

 surfaces, and on the branchlets ; pedicels capillary, axillary, twin, 

 1-flowered. Ij . S. Native of Peru. Melast. capillaris, Pav. 

 in herb. Lamb, but not of Swartz. 



Capillary-pedicefteA Clidemia. Sh. 2 to 3 feet. 



* Peduncles axillary, bearing cymes or panicles of 

 flowers. 



12 C. EPIBATE'RIUM (D. C. prod. 3. p. 157.) stem climbing, 

 branched, terete, rooting, clothed with rufous hairs above, as 

 well as the petioles ; leaves petiolate, ovate, acuminated, obtuse 

 at the base, 5-7-nerved, denticulated, rather pilose; flowers few, 

 in axillary racemose cymes ; calyx hispid. J? . S. Native of 

 Brazil, in the province of Rio Negro. Melastoma Epibaterium, 

 Mart. herb. Melast. volubile, Schrank, mss. A very distinct 

 species. Lobes of calyx bristly at the apex. Anthers bluntly 

 auriculated at the base, opening by one pore at the apex. The 

 name is derived from tin, upon, and fiatvw, to walk, in allusion 

 to the plant climbing upon others. 



Climbing Clidemia. Sh. climbing. 



13 C. PETIOLA'TA (D. C. 1. c.) branches terete, and are, as 

 well as the petioles, covered with rufous spreading hairs ; leaves 

 on long petioles, cordate-ovate, acuminated, 7-nerved, toothed, 

 ciliated, with a few bristles above, but smoothish beneath ; 



