790 



MELASTOMACE^. LXXVI. MICONIA. 



mel. t. 2. Flowers white. Petals 6-8, oval. Anthers blunt, 

 opening by 1 pore at the apex, which is common to the 2 cells. 

 Bristle-knotted Miconia. Shrub 6 feet. 



5 M. CILIATA (D. C. 1. c.) branchlets nearly terete, gla- 

 brous ; leaves petiolate, oblong-lanceolate, acuminated, serrated, 

 ciliated with bristles, glabrous on both surfaces, 3-nerved, be- 

 sides the marginal nervules ; thyrse terminal, somewhat spicate ; 

 flowers crowded in whorls, the whorls distant. ^ . S. Native 

 of French Guiana, in woods. Melastoma ciliata, Rich, in act. 

 soc. hist. nat. par. 1791. p. 109. and in Bonpl. mel. t. 26. M. 

 purpurascens, Vahl. ex Rich. Flowers purple. 



Ciliated-lcaveA Miconia. Shrub 3 to 6 feet. 



6 M. PILEA'TA (D. C. prod. 3. p. 180.) branches tetragonal, 

 and are as well as the petioles and leaves more or less hispid, 

 and ciliated from long stiff bristles ; thyrse somewhat spicate, 

 terminal ; flowers almost sessile, disposed in crowded whorls ; 

 whorls distant. 1? . S. Native of Brazil, in woods. Melas- 

 toma ciliatum and pileatum, Schrank et Mart. mss. A very 

 variable species, sometimes nearly glabrous, and sometimes 

 very hispid. Flowers always glabrous. Seeds ovoid. Nearly 

 allied to M. congesliflwa. Bracteas in both ciliated, with bris- 

 tles at the apex. 



Cap Miconia. Shrub 6 feet. 



7 M. WYDLERIA'NA (D. C. in herb. Wydler. no. 225. mem. 

 mel. p. 77.) branches bluntly tetragonal, but at length becom- 

 ing terete, glabrous, but when young as well as the panicles 

 somewhat tubercularly scabrous from rufous hairs ; leaves 

 almost sessile, oval, acuminated, obtuse at the base, and some- 

 what cordate, quite glabrous above, but dotted from tubercular 

 rufous down beneath ; thyrse panicled, terminal ; flowers almost 

 sessile, in crowded whorls. J? . S. Native of Porto Rico, in 

 the woods. Fruit globose, black. 



Wydler's Miconia. Shrub 1 to 2 feet. 



8 M. CONGESTIFLORA (D. C. 1. c.) branchlets tetragonal, and 

 are as well as the panicles and petioles quite glabrous ; leaves 

 petiolate, oblong, 5-nerved, glabrous on both surfaces, ciliated 

 with long, stiff hairs ; thyrse spicate, terminal; flowers crowded, 

 in distant, many-flowered, opposite bundles. Tj . S. Native of 

 Brazil, in the province of Minas Geraes. Melast. sessiliflorum, 

 Mart. herb, but not of Vahl. Calyx hemispherical, with 5 

 broad, small, permanent lobes. Petals obovate, emarginate. 

 Anthers oblong, opening by 1 pore. Style filiform. Ovanum 

 many-celled. Seeds angular. 



Crowded-flowered Miconia. Shrub 6 feet. 



9 M. BRACHY'PODA (D. C. 1. c.) branches bluntly quadran- 

 gular, glabrous, villous, and bristly at the knots ; petioles short, 

 villous at the apex ; leaves oval, attenuated at the base, acute, 

 serrately ciliated, 3-nerved, besides the lateral nervules, pilose 

 on the nerves on both surfaces, and beset with scattered dots 

 of stellate down above ; thyrse terminal, spicate, rather con- 

 tinuous, tj . S. Native of St. Domingo. Melastoma crb- 

 ceum, from Hispaniola, Spreng. syst. 2. p. 302. exclusive of 

 the synonyms, and the country Peru. Leaves yellowish on the 

 under surface. 



Short-petioled Miconia. Shrub 6 feet. 



10 M. RUFE'SCENS (D. C. 1. c.) branchlets bluntly tetragonal, 

 densely clothed with pili ; leaves almost sessile, cordate at the 

 base, ovate, crenulated, scabrous, rather tomentose, 5-nerved ; 

 thyrse spicate, terminal, densely clothed with pili ; flowers 

 crowded in something like whorls ; the whorls distant. Tj . S. 

 Native of Guiana, in fields. Melastoma rufescens, Aubl. guian. 

 t. 157. Perhaps belonging to a different section. 

 Rufescent Miconia. Shrub 6 to 9 feet. 



SECT. II. ERIOSPH^RA (from tptov, erion, wool, and aipaipa, 

 sphaira, a sphere ; in reference to the flower-bud being globose, 



as well as being clothed with tomentum). D. C. prod. 3. p. 

 180. Hypoxanthus, Rich. herb. Flower-bud globose, tomen- 

 tose. Tube of calyx nearly globose ; limb very short. Berry 

 globose. Leaves discoloured, glabrous above and tomentose 

 beneath. Panicle terminal, hoary, with opposite branches, and 

 having the flowers sessile and disposed in a secund manner along 

 the branches, rarely crowded at the tops of the branches, or 

 along a nearly simple rachis. 



11 M. EU'LVA (D. C. 1. c.) branches tetragonal, and are as 

 well as the petioles, panicles, and under side of leaves clothed 

 with whitish, rufescent, adpressed, rather stellate, lepidotted 

 down ; leaves opposite, or 3-4 in a whorl, elongated, hardly 

 petiolate, attenuated at the base, and terminating in a long 

 slender acumen at the apex, 3-nerved, glabrous above, vvith the 

 margins bluntly and repandly crenated ; panicle terminal, with 

 its branches opposite or in whorls ; rachis tetragonal. Pj . S. 

 Native of Cayenne. Melastoma chrysophylla, Rich, in act. soc. 

 hist. nat. par. 1792. p. 109. but not of Desr. Melastoma fulva, 

 Rich, in Bonpl. mel. t. 11. Flower-buds small and globose. 

 Leaves 7-8 inches long and an inch broad. Flowers white. 



Far. ft, tinctoria (Mart. herb, ex D. C. 1. c.) branchlets some- 

 what 2-edged, and are as well as the petioles and under side of 

 leaves clothed with whitish, rufescent, rather stellate, lepidotted, 

 adpressed down ; leaves opposite or 3 in a whorl, on short 

 petioles, oblong, tapering to the base, and acuminated at the 

 apex, rather repand, glabrous above in the adult state, 3-nerved, 

 besides the 2 marginal nervules. ^ . S. Native of Brazil. 

 Flowers and fruit unknown. Allied to var. a, but differs in the 

 leaves being much less crenated, and in the branchlets being 2- 

 edged, not tetragonal. 



Fulvous Miconia. Shrub 4 to 6 feet. 



12 M. LEPIDOTA (D. C. 1. c.) branchlets rather compressed, 

 but at length becoming terete, and are as well as the petioles, 

 panicles, and under side of leaves clothed with rather stellate, 

 small, somewhat rufescent, lepidotted down; leaves petiolate, 

 oval, acuminated, quite entire, 3-nerved, quite glabrous above ; 

 panicle many-flowered, terminal, rather loose, t? . S Native 

 of Brazil, at Para and the Rio Negro, in woods. Melastoma 

 lepidotum, Schrank et Mart. mss. Leaves not truly lepidotted, 

 but discoloured from almost imperceptible down. Fruit hardly 

 the size of a large mustard-seed. Teeth of calyx obtuse, very 

 short. Seeds angular. Flowers not seen. 



Lepidotted Miconia. Shrub 2 to 3 feet. 



13 M. ARGYROPHY'LLA (D. C. prod. 3. p. 181.) branches 

 acutely tetragonal, and are as well as the petioles, panicles, and 

 leaves clothed with white stellate down beneath ; leaves petio- 

 late, oval, acuminated, quite entire, glabrous above, 3-nerved, 

 besides the marginal nervules ; panicle terminal, raceme-formed ; 

 fruit globose, somewhat 10-ribbed. ^ . S. Native of Brazil, 

 at the river Amazon. Melastoma argyrophylla, Schrank et 

 Mart. mss. Teeth of calyx 5, short, acute. Seeds 3-sided, 

 smooth. Flowers unknown. 



Silver-leaved Miconia. Shrub 1 to 2 feet. 



14 M. FA'LLAX (D. C. 1. c.) branches tetragonal, and are as 

 well as the panicles and under side of leaves clothed with white 

 stellate tomentum ; leaves hardly petiolate, oblong, acuminated, 

 coriaceous, quite entire, somewhat 5-nerved, obtuse and some- 

 what cordate at the base, glabrous and shining above ; panicle 

 terminal, elongated, having the flowers sessile and crowded 

 on its branches, f? . S. Native of Brazil, in the province of 

 Bahia, in woods at the river Peruagua. Habit almost of M. 

 holosericea, but differs in the petioles being shorter, and in the 

 leaves being destitute of dots on the upper surface 



Fallacious Miconia. Shrub 6 to 8 feet. 



15 M. STENOSTA'CHYA (D. C. 1. c.) branches tetragonal, and 

 are as well as the petioles and under side of leaves clothed with 



