MELASTOMACE^E. LXXIX. BLAKEA. LXXX. KIBESSIA. LXXXI. CHARIANTHUS. LXXXII. CH.ENOPLEURA. 801 



shorter than the calyx. Tj . S. Native of Mexico. B. tri- 

 nervis, Pav. in herb. Lamb. Flowers red. 

 Smooth Blakea. Shrub. 



t Species hardly known. 



13 B.? PULVERULE'NTA (Vahl. symb. 3. p. 61.) calyx without 

 scales ; leaves elliptic, glabrous, triple-nerved ; racemes ter- 

 minal. P; . S. Native of South America. See E. Meyer, in 

 act. bonn. 12. p. 797. 



Powdery Blakea. Shrub. 



14 B. ? CA'CATIN (D. Don, 1. c.) branches bluntly quadran- 

 gular ; leaves ovate, acuminated, 3-nerved ; petioles very long, 

 thick both at the base and apex ; flowers and fruit unknown. 

 I? . S. Native of Guiana, on the banks of rivers. Melastoma 

 Cacatin, Aubl. guian. 1. p. 437. t. 172. Cacatin is a name 

 given to the plant by the Indians of Guiana. 



Cacatin Blakea. Shrub 8 to 10 ft. 



Cult. The species of this genus are all worth cultivating for 

 the sake of the fine broad foliage, and large showy rose-coloured 

 flowers. They thrive well in peat earth, or a mixture of loam 

 and peat, and require to be liberally supplied with water, parti- 

 cularly in spring and summer. Cuttings should be taken from 

 shoots that are quite ripe, otherwise they are apt to rot ; and if 

 planted in a pot of sand, and plunged in a moist heat under a 

 hand-glass, they strike root freely. 



SUBORDER II. CHAIUA'NTHE (plants agreeing with Cha- 

 ri&nthus in the anthers opening longitudinally by 2 chinks). 

 Ser. mss. ex D. C. prod. 3. p. 196. Anthers 2-celled (f. 113. 

 e.), opening longitudinally by a double chink (f. 113. e.~). Fruit 

 fleshy. Seeds cuneate, angular. 



LXXX. KIBE'SSIA (Kibessie is the name given to this 

 plant by the Javanese). D. C. prod. 3. p. 196. Blume, in bot. 

 zeit. 1831. no. SO. p. 524. 



LIN. SYST. Octdndria, Monogynia. Tube of calyx nearly 

 hemispherical, muricated from branched bristles, adnate to the 

 ovarium ; limb undivided, calyptriform, cut round about at the 

 base, and falling off in one piece. Petals 4, obovate. Stamens 

 8, equal. Anthers ovate, opening by a longitudinal double chink, 

 fleshy on the back and without any appendage. Style filiform, 

 tapering to the apex ; stigma simple. Fruit nearly globose, 

 depressed at the apex, and hence umbilicate, indehiscent, 4- 

 celled. Seeds cuneated, angular. A large, glabrous shrub, 

 with terete branchlets, but rather tetragonal towards the apex. 

 Leaves opposite, on short petioles, oval-oblong, tapering to both 

 ends, 3-nerved, quite entire. Peduncles axillary and terminal, 

 solitary, or in few-flowered fascicles ; pedicels bibracteate in 

 the middle. Flowers large, blue. 



1 K. AZU'REA (D. C. prod. 3. p. 196. Blum. 1. c.). P? . S. 

 Native of Java, in woods on the mountains. Melastoma azureum, 

 Blum.bijdr. p. 1079. 



.C/we-flowered Kibessia. Shrub 10 feet. 



Cult. This shrub is worth cultivating for its showy, large, 

 blue flowers and fine foliage. Its culture and propagation are 

 the same as that recommended for Blakea. 



LXXXI. CHARIA'NTHUS (from X P<c, charieis, beauti- 

 ful, and avSof, anlhos, a flower ; flowers very shewy). D. Don, 

 in \\ern. soc. mem. 4. p. 327. D. C. prod. 3. p. 191. Chaenan- 

 thera, Rich. herb. 



LIN. SYST. Octdndria, Monogynia. Tube of calyx ovate, 

 rather urceolate (f. 113. a.); limb spreading, bluntly 4-lobed, 

 permanent. Petals 4, erect, oval. Stamens 8, nearly equal ; 

 filaments linear (f. 113. 6.) ; anthers continuous with the fila- 

 ments (f. 113. e.), oblongly club-shaped, naked at the base, 

 opening longitudinally by a double chink (f. 1 13. e.}. Ovarium 

 adnate to the calyx (f. 113. c.). Style filiform, exserted. Cap- 



VOL. II. 



sule baccate, globose, umbilicate, 4-celled, opening a little at 

 the apex by the valves. Placentas lunate. Seeds ovate, with a 

 large lateral hylum. Albumen none. Embryo straight, with 

 thick cotyledons, and a long, inferior radicle. Erect, West 

 Indian shrubs, with petiolate, 5-nerved leaves, and purple flowers, 

 which are disposed in trichotomous, corymbose cymes. 



1 C.COCCI'NEUS(D. Don, 1. c.) FIG. 113. 

 all parts of shrub rather pubes- 

 cent when young, but at length be- 

 coming quite glabrous ; branches 



nearly terete ; leaves oval, acu- 

 minated, quite entire, 5-nerved, 

 beset with flocky down beneath 

 or small dots. Tj . S. Native 

 of Guadaloupe and Cayenne, on 

 the higher mountains, in sphag- 

 nous places. Melastoma coc- 

 cinea, Rich, in act. soc. hist. 

 nat. par. 109. and in Bonpl. 

 mel. t. 44. Melast. alpina, 

 Swartz, fl. ind. occ. 2. p. 800. 

 The dots on the lower surface 

 of leaves are the cicatrices, oc- 

 casioned by the falling off of the tufts of stellate down. Calyx 

 dotted from flocky down when young, but quite glabrous in the 

 adult state. Flowers scarlet. 



iScarfci-flowered Charianthus. Shrub 4 to 6 feet. 



2 C. GLABE'RRIMUS (D. C. prod. 3. p. 196.) shrubby, quite 

 glabrous in every part ; branchlets bluntly tetragonal ; leaves 

 oval, acuminated, quite entire, 5-nerved, dotless. ^ . S. Na- 

 tive of Martinique, Trinidad, and Guadaloupe. Melastoma 



Melast. Berterianum, Spreng. 

 mucronata, Rich. herb. Chari- 

 mss. Perhaps only a smooth variety 

 of the preceding species, but the leaves are longer. Flowers 

 purplish red. 



Quite-glabrous Charianthus. Shrub 4 to 6 feet. 



3 C. TINIFOLIUS (D. Don, 1. c.) leaves ovate, coriaceous, ob- 

 tuse, short-acuminated, 5-nerved, quite entire, glabrous on both 

 surfaces, as well as on the branches. lj . S. Native of the 

 West India Islands. Flowers blood-coloured. Lateral nerves 

 of leaves almost obsolete. 



Laurestinus-leaved Charianthus. Shrub 4 to 6 feet. 



4 C. PURPU'REUS (D. Don, 1. c.) branches and petioles hispid 

 from bristles ; leaves oval, short-acuminated, cordate at the 

 base, quite entire, 5-nerved, pilose beneath and on the margins. 

 Tj . S. Native of the Island of Montserrat. Melastoma 

 coccinea, Vahl. eel. 1. p. 48. icon. amer. t. 16, but not of Rich. 

 Flowers purplish red. 



Purple -fiowered Charianthus. Shrub 4 to 6 feet. 



5 C. CILIA'TUS (D. C. prod. 3. p. 197.) branches hispid from 

 bristles ; leaves ovate, coriaceous, short-acuminated, glabrous 

 on both surfaces, 5-nerved, serrated, with the serrature callous 

 and ciliately toothed. Jj . S. Native of Trinidad. Sieb. pi. 

 trin. no. 279. Tetrazygos ciliatus, Rich. herb. Melastoma 

 Dodandiana, Hamilt. prod. p. 37. Flowers purple. 



Ciliated-\ea\-ed Charianthus. Shrub 3 to 6 feet. 



Cult. All the species of Charianthus are worth cultivating 

 for their showy cymes or corymbs of purple or scarlet flowers. 

 Their culture and propagation are the same as recommended for 

 Blakea, see p. 801. 



LXXXII. CHjENOPLElTRA (from X c, chaino, to open, 

 and TrXeupa, pleura, a side). Rich. herb, ex D. C. prod. 3. 

 p. 197. 



LIN. SYST. Decdndria, Monogynia. Calyx adnate to the 

 5 K 



corymbosa, Vahl. eel. 3. p. 25. 

 in herb. Balb. Chenanthera 

 anthus Berteroanus, Ser. 



