780 



MELASTOMACE^E. LXI. OSSJEA. LXII. SAGIUEA. 



and minute ; petals 4, larger than the calyx, lanceolate, acute, 

 white ; filaments jointed ; stigma blunt ; berry minute, round- 

 ish, 4-celled, rufous. T? . S. Native of Jamaica, on the higher 

 mountains. Melastoma scabrosa, Lin. spec. p. 558. Swartz, 

 obs. p. 174. 



Scabrous Ossaea. Sh. 1 to 2 feet. 



** Pedicels axillary or lateral, crowded, \-flowered. 



3 O. LATERIFLORA (D. C. 1. c.) glabrous ; branches tetra- 

 gonal, but at length terete; leaves petiolate, obovate, acumi- 

 nated, setaceously somewhat serrated, triple-nerved ; pedicels 

 aggregate, rising beneath the leaves, short, 1 -flowered ; calyx 

 truncate, rather strigose ; petals 4, ovate, attenuated. T? . S. 

 Native of Montserrat, on the mountains. Melastoma lateri- 

 flora, Vahl. eel. Anthers oblong, obtuse. Stigma subcapitate. 

 Berry globose, beset with scattered strigae. 



Side-flowered Ossaea. Sh. 1 to 2 feet. 



4 O. SPAKSIFLORA (D. C. 1. c.) branches nearly terete, and 

 are, as well as the young leaves, rough from deciduous atlpressed 

 strigae when young, but as the strigoa fall off, the parts soon be- 

 come glabrous ; leaves petiolate, oval-oblong, acuminated at both 

 ends, triple- nerved, with revolute margins; pedicels numerous, 

 1 -flowered, short, rising in fascicles from the axils of the old 

 leaves ; calyx truncate ; petals 4, lanceolate, acute. Pj . S. 

 Native of Guadaloupe, in woods on the mountains. Melastoma 

 sparsiflora, Rich. herb. Flowers very small, acute, pale. Calyx 

 dotted from small strigas. 



Scattered-flowered Ossaea. Sh. 3 to C feet. 



5 O. FLAVE'SCENS (D. C. 1. c.) branches bluntly tetragonal, 

 nearly terete, scabrous from adpressed bristles when young, but 

 at length becoming glabrous ; leaves petiolate, oval, acuminated 

 at both ends, quintuple-nerved, crenulated, glabrous, except the 

 nerves, which are bristly beneath; pedicels axillary, 1 -flowered, 

 short, quite glabrous, rising in fascicles from the axils of the old 

 leaves ; calyxes with repand margins ; petals lanceolate, acute, 

 rather velvety on the outside. 17.8. Native of French Guiana, 

 in woods about Sinemari. Melastoma flavescens, Aubl. guian. 

 1. p. 523. t. 164. Leaves yellowish, smooth. Flowers small, 

 white, agreeing in disposition to those of Loreya arborescens. 



Yellowish Ossaea. Sh.2 to 3 feet. 



* * Thyrse axillary. In this section the anthers open 

 by a broad almost 2-celled pore, and therefore nearly agreeing 

 nith the genus CREMA'NIUM. 



6 O. MULTJFLORA (D. C. prod. 3. p. 169.) quite glabrous ; 

 branches bluntly tetragonal; leaves petiolate, oblong, attenu- 

 ated, bluntish, triple-nerved, with callous serratures ; thyrse axil- 

 lary, shorter than the leaves ; calyx campanulate, hardly 4- 

 toothed ; petals 4, oval, acute. Tj . S. Native of St. Domingo. 

 Melastoma multiflora, Desr. in Lam. diet. 4. p. 35. Rich, in 

 Bonpl. mel. t. 37. Flowers small, white. Anthers obconical, 

 opening in a bilabiate manner by a pore of 2 cells, which has a 

 bicamerated dissepiment. Stigma dilated. 



Many-flowered Ossaea. Sh. 3 to 4 feet. 



7 O. ACUMINA'TA (D. C. 1. c.) quite glabrous; branches tetra- 

 gonally compressed ; leaves petiolate, oblong, tapering to both 

 ends, very acute, with callous serratures, triple-nerved ; thyrse 

 axillary, shorter than the leaves ; calyx ovate, hardly 4-toothed ; 

 petals 4, lanceolate, acute. Jj . S. Native of St. Domingo. 

 Mel&stoma micranthum, Bert. herb, but not of Swartz. Very 

 like O. multiflora, but is easily distinguished from that plant in 

 the leaves and petals being acuminated. 



Acuminated-\eaved Osssea. Sh. 3 to 6 feet. 



8 O. PURP'URA'SCENS (D. C. 1. c.) quite glabrous; branches 

 bluntly tetragonal ; leaves petiolate, oblong, tapering to the base 

 and apex, triple-nerved, serrated; serratures small, ciliae- 



formed ; thyrse axillary and lateral, tripartite ; calyx minutely 

 and acutely 4-toothed ; petals 4, roundish. Tj . S. Native of 

 Jamaica, on the high mountains. Melastoma purpurascens, 

 Swartz, fl. ind. occ. p. 804. Anthers obtuse, perforated at the 

 apex. Stigma blunt, angular. Berry 4-celled. 



Purplish Ossaea. Sh. 3 to 6 feet. 



9 O. AMYGDA'LINA (D. C. 1. c.) quite glabrous ; branches 

 nearly terete ; leaves petiolate, lanceolate, attenuated at the base, 

 acuminated at the apex, denticulated, triple-nerved ; cymes 

 loosish, few-flowered, rising from the axils of the old leaves 

 beneath the young leaves ; calyx rather globose, bluntly 4- 

 toothed ; petals roundish, fj . S. Native of Porto Rico. Melas- 

 toma arnvgdalina, Desr. in Lam. diet. 4. p. 35. Rich, in Bonpl. 

 mel. t. 36. where the description is good, but in the figure the 

 berry is represented falsely as 5-celled. It hardly dift'ers from 

 O. purpurascens, unless in the calycine teeth being very obtuse. 



Almond-like Ossaea. Sh. 3 to 6 feet. 



Cult. For culture and propagation see Melastoma, p. 7G 1. 



LXII. SAGR/E'A (dedicated to Don Ramon de la Sagra, 

 of Havanah, in Cuba, director of the Botanic Garden at 

 Havanah). D. C. prod. 3. p. 170. 



LIN. SYST. Octdndria, Monogynia Tube of calyx -adhering 

 to the ovarium, but not drawn out beyond it ; lobes 4, short, 

 permanent. Petals 4, oval. Stamens 8 ; anthers hardly auricled 

 at the base. Ovarium smoothish at the apex. Style filiform ; 

 stigma obtuse. Capsule baccate, 4-celled. Seeds small, ovate- 

 angular. American shrubs. Leaves 3-7-nerved. Flowers ris- 

 ing from the axils of the old leaves after they have fallen, as well 

 as from the axils of those that are standing. 



* Floniers crowded in the axils of the leaves, sessile, or on short 

 pedicels. 



1 S. coLUMNEjEFOLTA (D. C. prod. 3. p. 1 70.) branches terete, 

 and are, as well as both surfaces of leaves and calyxes, very vil- 

 lous ; leaves nearly sessile, elliptic, bluntish, crenulated, 5- 

 nerved ; flowers axillary, sessile, in crowded whorls ; calyx tu- 

 bular, hairy, 4-toothed ; petals oblong, obtuse, fj . S. Native 

 of Peru. Melastoma columneaefolium, Schrank, mss. Very 

 like the following species, but the leaves are almost obtuse, not 

 acuminated, very hairy on both surfaces. 



Columnea-leaved Sagraea. Sh. 2 to 3 feet. 



2 S. SESSILIFLORA (D. C. 1. c.) branches terete, densely clothed 

 with rufous hairs ; leaves almost sessile, ovate, acuminated, cre- 

 nulated, 7-nerved, ciliated, densely clothed with stiff hairs above, 

 and with villi beneath ; flowers almost sessile, crowded in the 

 axils of the leaves ; calyx cylindrical, tubular, hairy ; petals 

 oval, obtuse. ^ . S. Native of Brazil and Guiana, in grassy 

 meadows. The down and hairs on every part of the plant are 

 simple, and somewhat incurved. Petals small, rose-coloured. 

 Berry 4-celled. Seeds ovoid. Melastoma rtlbra, Rich, in 

 Bonpl. mel. t. 39. and perhaps the same as Melastoma riibra. 

 Aubl. guian. 1. p. 416. p. 161. but he says the flowers are de- 

 candrous, which is most probably wrong. Melast. sessiliflora, 

 Vahl. eel. amer. 1. p. 49. icon. amer. t. 18. Clidemia hetero- 

 malla, D. Don, in mem. wern. soc. 4. p. 310. 



Sessile-flowered Sagraea. Sh. 1 to 2 ft. 



3 S. FASCICULA'RIS (D. C. 1. c.) branchlets tetragonal, hispid ; 

 petioles scabrous from hairs ; leaves ovate, acute both at the 

 base and apex, entire, 3-nerved, besides the 2 marginal ner- 

 vules, scabrous from hairs, but with the nerves hispid on the 

 under surface; pedicels short, 1 -flowered, crowded beneath the 

 leaves ; teeth of calyx 4, acute, erect, permanent ; petals round- 

 ish. T? . S. Native of the interior of Jamaica, in woods on 

 the mountains. Melastoma fascicularis, Swartz, fl. ind. occ. p. 



