RUBIACEvE. LXIV. RONDELETIA. 



515 



are usually cleft at the apex, whence it sometimes appears 4- 

 valved ; but usually dehiscing at the cells, rarely at the disse- 

 piment. Placentas central. Seeds numerous, small, ovate, 

 angular, usually only 2 in each cell at maturity. Small trees or 

 shrubs, mostly natives of America. Leaves almost sessile, or 

 more or less petiolate. Stipulas deltoid, or linear-lanceolate, 

 solitary on both sides, undivided, sometimes hairy inside. Pe- 

 duncles axillary, usually trichotomous, sometimes disposed in a 

 terminal corymbose panicle, rarely 3 or 1 -flowered. All the 

 Asiatic plants referred to this genus are species of Wendl&ndia. 



1. Pentamerce (from TTEVTI, petite, five, and pepte, meris, 

 apart ; in reference to the flowers being pentamerous). D. C. 

 prod. 4. p. 407. Calyx 5-lobed. Corolla 5-lobed. Stamens 5. 

 Rondeletia, Juss. mem. mus. 6. p. 384. 



* Tube of corolla hardly longer than the calyx. 



1 R. IAURIFO'LIA (Swartz, fl. ind. occ. p. 363.) leaves lan- 

 ceolate-oblong, acute, glabrous on both surfaces ; stipulas del- 

 toid, glabrous on the outside, with ciliated margins, and villous 

 at top ; racemes compound, axillary, erect ; tube of corolla 

 very short, clothed with adpressed villi. Jj . S. Native of Ja- 

 maica and Guadaloupe, among bushes. Petesia, no. 2. P. 

 Browne, jam. p. 143. t. 2. f. 2. Tube of calyx turbinate, clothed 

 with adpressed down ; limb 5-parted, smoothish ; lobes acute, 

 about equal in length to the tube of the corolla. Flowers small, 

 dusky yellow. Capsules about the size of hemp-seed. Leaves 

 3-4 inches long, on petioles about an inch long. 



Laurel-leaved Rondeletia. Fl. July, Aug. Clt. 1824. Sh. 

 4 to 6 feet. 



2 R. RACEMOSA (Swartz, fl. ind. occ. p. 360.) leaves lanceo- 

 late-ovate, acuminated, petiolate, glabrous on both surfaces ; 

 stipulas almost deltoid, with somewhat ciliated margins ; ra- 

 cemes axillary, trichotomous, spreading. Tj . S. Native of 

 Jamaica, in woods on the mountains. Petesia, P. Browne, jam. 

 p. 143. t. 2. f. 3. Leaves opposite and 3 in a whorl. Tube of 

 corolla short, clothed with silky hairy down on the outside, a 

 little longer than the calycine teeth, which are very short. Very 

 nearly allied to R. laurifolia, but the petioles are longer, the 

 racemes shorter, the calycine teeth shorter, and probably the 

 stigma is undivided, as mentioned by Swartz. Branches co- 

 vered with hoary bark ; branchlets tetragonal. Corolla hoary. 



Racemose-fiowered Rondeletia. Fl. July, Aug. Clt. 1820. 

 Shrub 4 to 6 feet. 



* Tube of corolla cylindrical, 2-3 or 4 times longer than 

 the calycine lobes. 



3 R. THYRSOIDEA (Swartz, prod. p. 41. fl. ind. occ. 1. p. 

 358.) leaves oblong, acute, petiolate, membranous, glabrous on 

 the upper surface as well as the branches, but downy beneath ; 

 stipulas broad ovate, acute, glabrous, stiff; thyrses axillary, 

 shorter than the leaves. Tj . S. Native of Jamaica, on the 

 driest hills in the western parts of the island. Branches bluntly 

 tetragonal. Leaves 3 inches long. Calyx minute, 5-toothed. 

 Flowers small, dull whitish yellow or rust-coloured, with an 

 elongated tube, which swells below the limb, and clothed with 

 silky pubescence on the outside. Capsules roundish, size of 

 coriander seeds. Seeds 2 in each cell at maturity. 



7%oirf-flowered Rondeletia. Fl. July, Aug. Clt. 1819. 

 Shrub 4 to 6 feet. 



4 R. UMBELLULA V TA (Swartz, prod. p. 41. fl. ind. occ. 1. p. 

 367.) leaves lanceolate- ovate, acute, rather hairy, petiolate; 

 stipulas hairy, ending each in a bristly acumen ; peduncles axil- 

 lary, trichotomous at the apex, somewhat umbelliferous, shorter 

 than the leaves. lj . S. Native of Jamaica, on rocks near 

 streams. Petesia, no. 3. P. Browne, jam. p. 144.? and there- 



fore Petesia villosa, Smith, in Rees's cycl. no. 4. Calyx very 

 villous, with linear teeth. Corolla larger than in the rest of the 

 species, downy, of a dusky yellow colour ; tube elongated. 

 Capsule roundish : having 2 seeds in each cell at maturity. 

 Umbellate-Qowered Rondeletia. Shrub 2 feet. 



5 R. TOMENTOSA (Swartz, prod. p. 41. fl. ind. occ. 1. p. 365.) 

 leaves ovate, acuminated, petiolate, membranous, hairy above, 

 but clothed with hoary villous tomentum beneath ; peduncles 

 axillary, tripartite, short. I? . S. Native of Jamaica, near 

 Spanish Town, on rocky hills. Petesia stipularis, Lin. spec, 

 p. 160. ? ex Swartz. Stipulas ovate, downy, with a short point. 

 Branchlets villous at the ends. Flowers small, whitish, or dusky 

 yellow, villous outside. Capsules roundish, size of coriander 

 seeds, containing 1 seed in each cell at maturity. 



Var. j3, Domingensis (D. C. prod. 4. p. 407.) leaves oval- 

 oblong, cuneated at the base, downy or villous above, but 

 clothed with soft hoary tomentum beneath. T; . S. Native of 

 St. Domingo, where it was collected by Bertero. R. tomentdsa, 

 ex Hispaniola, Spreng. syst. 1. p. 708. This plant is probably 

 referrible to Petesia tomentbsa. 



Tomentose Rondeletia. Fl. July, Aug. Clt. 1819. Sh. 3 ft. 



6 R. INCA'NA (Swartz, prod. p. 41. fl. ind. occ. 1. p. 369.) 

 leaves ovate-lanceolate, petiolate, glabrous above, hairy beneath, 

 and hoary ; stipulas very short, truncate, ciliated, white on the 

 margins ; peduncles axillary, simple, 3-flowered. fj . S. Native 

 of Jamaica, on rocky calcareous mountains, but rare. Arachni- 

 morpha incana, Hamilt. prod. fl. ind. occ. p. 28. R. incana, 

 ex Hispaniola, Spreng. syst. 1. p. 707. ex herb. Balb. is not 

 different from this plant. Branches rugged. Petioles tomen- 

 tose. Lobes of calyx ovate, acute, thick, hoary from silky 

 down. Corolla rather large) silky outside. Capsule oblong, 

 ripening 2 seeds in each cell. 



Hoary Rondeletia. Shrub 2 to 3 feet. 



7 R. HIRTA (Swartz. prod. p. 41. fl. ind. occ. 1. p. 373. but 

 not of Ait.) leaves oblong, acuminated, on short petioles, hairy, 

 stiff, nerved beneath ; peduncles axillary, trichotomous, erect ; 

 lobes of calyx linear. Fj . S. Native of Jamaica, among bushes 

 on the mountains. Gaertn. fil. carp. p. 33. t. 1 84. Lodd. bot. 

 cab. t. 350. Stipulas broad, acuminated, hairy. Branchlets 

 pilose. Flowers yellowish. Mature capsule perfecting 2-4- 

 seeds. Peduncles tripartite to the base ; the branches bearing 

 3 flowers at the apex. 



Var. /3, Aitbnii (D. C. prod. 4. p. 408.) leaves ovate-oblong, 

 acute, pilose ; capsules many-seeded. Tj . S. Native of Ja- 

 maica. Rondeletia hirta, Ait. hort. kew. 1. p. 227. This dif- 

 fers from the plant of Swartz, in the leaves being shorter, 

 broader, and less acuminated, and in the fruit being dehiscent, 

 and containing a great number of small seeds. 



Hairy Rondeletia. Fl. Ju. Aug. Clt. 1776. Sh. 5 to 6 ft. 



8 R. PANAME'NSIS (D. C. prod. 4. p. 408.) leaves oval- 

 oblong, acuminated at both ends, glabrous above, white beneath, 

 and villous on the nerves and veins ; stipulas triangular, acute, 

 villous outside ; peduncles axillary, opposite, shorter than the 

 leaves, trifid and densely corymbose at the apex : ultimate ones 

 collected into a short thyrse ; calyx villous, with lanceolate 

 segments. P? . S. Native of Panama. R. hirta, Bartl. in 

 herb. Hsenke. Tube of corolla villous ; limb of 5 roundish 

 lobes. Capsules almost globose. Seeds numerous, and of 2 

 forms, appendiculate. 



Panama Rondeletia. Shrub 4 to 5 feet. 



9 R. HIRSU'TA (Swartz, prod. p. 41. fl. ind. occ. 1. p. 371.) 

 leaves oblong, acuminated, hairy on both surfaces, pale beneath, 

 on short petioles : stipulas ovate-lanceolate, hairy ; branchlets. 

 peduncles, and flowers hairy ; peduncles axillary, trichotomous. 

 loose, about the length of the leaves. J? . S. Native of the 

 south of Jamaica, among bushes on the mountains near Bath. 



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