796 



MELASTOMACE^;. LXXVI. MICONIA. 



bifid ; flowers sessile, secund along tlie branches, and vvitli a 

 solitary one in each fork ; calyx nearly globose, bluntly 10- 

 ribbed, with 5 short obtuse bent in lobes. fj . S. Native of the 

 West Indies. Melastoma hevigata, Desr. in Lam. diet. 4. p. 

 52. Flower-bud small, nearly globose, velvety. Capsule glo- 

 bose, 5-celled, umbilicate from the calyx, and adhering to it. 

 Seeds ovate, shining, with a basilar black hylum. Ker. hot. reg. 

 t. 303. Flowers whitish. 



Smooth Miconia. Clt. 1815. Shrub 6 to 8 ft. 



67 M. TRICHOTOMA (Desr. in Lam. diet. 4. p. 53.) branchlets 

 nearly terete, and are, as well as the petioles and panicles while 

 young, rather velvety from short down, but at length becoming 

 ijlabrous; leaves petiolate, broadly oval, short-acuminated, 3-5- 

 nerved, glabrous on both surfaces in the adult state ; panicle 

 corymbose, trichotomous, many-flowered, much branched; fruit 

 globose, bluntly 10-ribbed. \i . S. Native of Martinique. 

 Melastoma trichotoma, Desr. in Lam. diet. 4. p. 53. Seeds 

 ovate, angular, with a black hylum. A congener of M. Icevi- 

 !>fita. Compare it with Melastoma nigricans, Vahl. eel. 3. p. 

 26. ex Ser. 



i'Yie/io/o?MOtt.v-panicled Miconia. Shrub 4 to 6 ft. 



68 M. PRA'SINA (D. C. 1. c.) glabrous; branchlets somewhat 

 tetragonal ; leaves petiolate, broad-lanceolate, quite entire, tri- 

 ple-nerved, glabrous on both surfaces ; thyrse panicled, termi- 

 nal, with spreading filiform branches ; teeth of calyx 5, erect, 

 short, permanent. T? . S. Native of Jamaica and Hispaniola, 

 in woods. Melastoma prasina, Swartz, fl. ind. occ. p. 777. ex- 

 clusive of the synonyme of Aubl. This plant differs from the 

 figure given by Aublet, now M. mierocarpa, in the leaves being 

 triple-nerved, not 5-nerved, quite entire, not somewhat denticu- 

 lated, in being glabrous on both surfaces, not velvety on the 

 under surface, and in the teeth of the calyx being permanent, not 

 deciduous, &c. 



Leek-green Miconia. Clt. 1817. Shrub 4 to 6 ft. 



69 M. MICROCA'RPA (B.C. prod. 3. p. 189.) branchlets bluntly 

 tetragonal, but at length becoming terete, and are, as well as 

 the panicles, petioles, and nerves of leaves on the under surface, 

 velvety from almost imperceptible stellate down ; leaves petio- 

 late, ovate-lanceolate, acuminated, somewhat attenuated at the 

 base, 5-nerved, repandly denticulated, glabrous above, but beset 

 with scattered dot-like down between the nerves on the under 

 surface ; thyrse panicled, terminal, much branched, loose ; fruit 

 globose, bluntly 10-ribbed ; limb of calyx deciduous, very short, 

 toothed, truncate. 17 . S. Native of Brazil, in woods in the 

 provinces of Para and Rio Negro ; and probably of Guiana, if 

 M. laevigata, Aubl. guian. 1. p. 412. t. 59. is referrible to this 

 species, which is most likely the case. Flowers white. 



Small-fruited Miconia. Shrub 4 to 6 ft. 



70 M. AMBIGUA (D. C. 1. c.) branchlets terete, glabrous? 

 leaves petiolate, oblong-oval, acuminated, acute at the base, 5- 

 nerved, somewhat denticulately serrated, membranous, powdery 

 on the nerves beneath ; thyrse terminal, panicled, loose-flowered, 

 powdery; limb of calyx 5-toothed, permanent. f; . S. Native 

 of South America, in Cumana, at Caripe. Melastoma ambigua, 

 Bonpl. mel. t. 25. Petals 5, white, roundish. Berry globose, 

 3-celled. The teeth of the calyx are connivent above the ova- 

 rium after flowering. 



Ambiguous Miconia. Shrub 6 ft. 



71 M. CEANOTHINA (D. C. 1. c.) branchlets from compressed 

 to terete, and are, as well as the petioles, panicles, and nerves of 

 leaves, and both surfaces of leaves while young, clothed with 

 small flocky velvety stellate down ; leaves petiolate, ovate-lan- 

 ceolate, acuminated, obtuse at the base, almost quite entire, 

 glabrous above in the adult state, 3-nerved, besides the 2 mar- 

 ginal nervules ; thyrse panicled, terminal ; berries globose, 

 usually 10-ribbed, crowned by 5 obtuse conniving teeth. Jj . S. 



Native of Guadaloupe, Trinidad, Cuba, &c. Nearly allied to 

 M. amligiict. Flowers white. 



Ceanothus-like Miconia. Shrub 4 to 6 ft. 



72 M. MIXLTIFLORA (D. C. 1. c.) quite glabrous ; branches 

 nearly terete ; leaves petiolate, lanceolate, quite entire, 5-nerved, 

 membranous ; thyrse terminal, panicled, loose ; calyx short, 

 campanulate, hardly 5 crenate. \i . S. Native of Cumana, 

 near the monument called Guacharo. Melastoma minutifiora, 

 Bonpl. mel. t. 22. Calyx nearly entire. Flowers minute, white; 

 petals roundish. Ovarium nearly free, 3-celled. According to 

 Bonpland's figure the nerves are rufescent beneath, and probably 

 from down. 



Minute-flowered Miconia. Shrub 6 ft. 



73 M. CORIA'CEA (D. C. I.e.) branches tetragonal, and are, as 

 well as the petioles and nerves of leaves, beset with simple 

 hairs, which are lather glandular at the apex, intermixed with 

 rough minute fascicles of down; leaves petiolate, oval, callously 

 serrated, coriaceous, terminating in a stiff point, wrinkled, 

 smoothish, with revolute margins ; thyrse terminal, panicled, 

 with crow ded flowers, having its branches and rachis tetragonal ; 

 calyx turbinate, with obtuse permanent lobes, which are fur- 

 nished with one bristle each on the outside. fj . S. Native of 

 Guadaloupe, on the top of the Sulphur Mountain. Melastoma 

 coriacea, Swartz, fl. ind. occ. p. 790. Melast. cymbifolia, Rich, 

 in Bonpl. mel. t. 26. Flowers yellowish. Stigma obtuse. Berry 

 cinereous, 3-celled. Leaves concave beneath and convex above. 



Coriaceow-leaved Miconia. Shrub 3 to 6 ft. 



74 M. SIEBE'RI (D. C. 1. c.) quite glabrous ; branches tetra- 

 gonal ; leaves petiolate, oval, with stiff points, coriaceous, cal- 

 lously serrated, 5-nerved, flattish ; thyrse terminal, panicled, 

 crowded with flowers, having its rachis and branches tetragonal ; 

 bracteas oblong, membranous, under the branches of the pa- 

 nicle. J? . S. Native of the island of Trinidad. Sieb. fl. 

 trin. no. 260. Habit of M. coriacea, but is distinguished from 

 that plant in the smoothness. 



Sieber's Miconia. Shrub 4 to 6 feet. 



75 M. LUTE'SCENS (D. C. 1. c.) branchlets bluntly tetragonal, 

 and are as well as the petioles, nerves of leaves on the under 

 surface, and rachis yellowish ; leaves petiolate, oblong, acute 

 at the base, and acuminated at the apex, glabrous above, but 

 clothed with white, deciduous, woolly down beneath when young, 

 3-nerved, toothed ; thyrse terminal, panicled, many-flowered ; 

 calyx globose, with 5 very short, acute teeth. Jj . S. Native 

 of Peru, near Loxa, on Mount Saraguru. Melastoma lutescens, 

 Bonpl. mel. t. 17. Petals roundish- obovate, white. Anthers 

 opening by 1 pore. Stigma obtuse. Berry globose, 3-celled, 

 crowned. 



Yellowish Miconia. Shrub 4 to 6 feet. 



76 M. THOMASIA'NA (D. C. I.e.) glabrous; branchlets terete; 

 leaves petiolate, oval, bluntish, triple-nerved, with quite entire, 

 rather revolute edges, coriaceous ; cymes terminal, trifid at the 

 base, with its branches somewhat racemose; tube of calyx tur- 

 binate, covered with scurfy stellate down, with 5 broad obtuse 

 lobes ; fruit globose, hispid from a few bristles. 17 . S. Native 

 of the Island of St. Thomas. Melastoma coriacea, Juss. in 

 herb. mus. par. Stamens 10; anthers without auricles. Petals 

 5, oval. Seeds trigonal, cuneated, shining, with a linear con- 

 cave hylum. Flowers yellowish. 



St. Thomas Miconia. Shrub 2 to 3 feet. 



77 M. ASTROLA'SIA (B.C. prod. 3. p. 190.) branches terete, 

 and are as well as the panicles, under side of leaves, and pe- 

 tioles densely clothed with rufous stellate down ; leaves on short 

 petioles, ovate, obtuse at the base, and acute at the apex, quite 

 entire, 3-nerved, beset with dots of stellate down above, but at 

 length becoming smoothish ; panicle terminal, much branched. 



T?. S. Native of St. Domingo. Melastoma astrolasion, Spreng. 



