556 



RUBIACE^E. CXX. MYONIMA. CXXI. PYROSTRIA. CXXII. OCTAVIA. 



CXX. MYONrMA (p.vs p.vog, mys myos, a rat, and 

 onemi, to succour ; rats are very fond of the fruit, and eat it with 

 great avidity). Comm. in Juss. gen. p. 206. mem. mus. 6. p. 

 397. Lam. ill. t. 68. Gsertn. fil. carp. 3. p. 86. t. 195. A. 

 Rich, mem. soc. hist. nat. par. 5. p. 211. D. C. prod. 4. 

 p. 463. 



LIN. SYST. Tetrdndria, Monogynia. Calyx with a globose 

 tube, and a small bluntly 8-toothed limb. Corolla with a short 

 tube, and a bluntly 5-parted limb. Stamens 4 ; filaments very 

 short ; anthers oblong, exserted. Stigmas 4, linear, short, 

 thickish, approximate, almost concrete. Berry globose, not 

 crowned, containing 4 1 -seeded pyrenae, which adhere to the 

 flesh of the fruit. Seeds umbilicate, fixed by the middle. Al- 

 bumen fleshy. Embryo dorsal, erect, with an inferior, nearly 

 terete radicle, and cordate blunt cotyledons. Small glabrous 

 trees or shrubs, natives of the Mauritius. Leaves coriaceous. 

 Stipulas small, very acute, deciduous. Pedicels axillary and 

 terminal, shorter than the leaves. Perhaps not distinct from 

 Polyozus. 



1. Fruit containing 4 pyrence. Myonimce verce. 



1 M. OBOVA'TA (Lam. ill. no. 1482. t. 68. f. 1. diet. 4. p. 

 397.) leaves obovate, obtuse, on short petioles; peduncles 1-3- 

 flowered ; berries bluntly tetragonal. ^ . S. Native of the 

 Island of Bourbon, where it is called Bois de rat, from the fruit 

 being grateful to mice and rats. M. Borbonica, Raeuch. nom. 

 Berries red, size of grapes. 



Oiot'ate-leaved Myonima. Shrub 4 to 6 feet. 



2 M. MYRTIFOLIA (Lam. ill. no. 1483. t. 58. f. 2. diet. 4. 

 p. 398.) leaves ovate-lanceolate, acute, on short petioles ; pe- 

 duncles 1-3-flowered ; berries spherical, fj . S. Native of the 

 Island of Bourbon. M. lanceolata, Willd. spec. 1. p. 614. 

 Rubiacea, no. 103. Sieb. fl. maur. fasc. 2. 



Myrtle-leaved Myonima. Shrub 4 to 5 feet. 



3 M. MULTIFLORA (A. Rich, diss. p. 132.) leaves nearly ses- 

 sile, rather cordate at the base, ovate-oblong, acute, shining 

 above, reticulately nerved, veiny beneath ; corymbs terminal. 

 Ij . S. Native of the Mauritius. Ixora parviflora, Lam. ill. 

 no. 1473. t. 66. f. 2. exclusive of the syn. of Rheed. Ixora 

 micrantha, Rcem. et Schultes, syst. 3. p. 179. Faramea corym- 

 bosa, Sieb. fl. maur. 2. no. 62. but not of Aubl. 



far. ft, ollongi/blia (D. C. prod. 4. p. 463.) leaves oblong, 

 obtuse ; corymbs more crowded. 



Var. y, ovala (D. C. 1. c.) leaves ovate. ^ S. Ixora par- 

 viflora, Poir. suppl. 3. p. 207. Eugenia violkcea, Lam. diet. 3. 

 p. 200. Myrtus androssemoides, Poir. diet. 4. p. 409. Fa- 

 ramea, Sieb. fl. maur. 2. no. 63. Perhaps a proper species. 



Many-flowered Myonima. Shrub 4 to 5 feet. 



2. Fruit containing 2 pyrcnee. Myonimce diibiee. Perhaps 

 a proper genus. 



4 M. ? UMBELLA'TA (Bartl. in herb. Haenke, ex D. C. prod. 

 4. p. 463.) leaves obovate or obovate-oblong, coriaceous ; pe- 

 duncles axillary, many-flowered at the apex ; pedicels 7-8, um- 

 bellate ; berries roundish ; calycine teeth very short, acutish. 

 Tj . S. Native of the Island of Luzon, one of the Philippines. 

 Segments of corolla valvate in aestivation. Genitals not ex- 

 serted. Seeds narrow, cylindrical, as in Guettarda, ex Bartl. 

 Perhaps a section of Myonima, as Laugeria is of Guettarda. 



Umbellate-fiowered Myonima. Tree small or shrub. 

 Cult. For culture and propagation see Hamiltonia, p. 555. 



CXXI. PYRO'STRIA (from pyrus and striatus ; in allusion 

 to the fruit being shaped like a pear, and striated). Comm. in 

 Juss. gen. 206. mem. mus. 6. p. 397. Lam. ill. t. 65. A. 



Rich, in mem. soc. hist. nat. par. 5. p. 216. D. C. prod. 4. 

 p. 464. 



LIN. SYST. Tetra Pentandria, Monogynia. Calyx with an 

 obovate tube, and a small 4-5-toothed limb. Corolla sub- 

 campanulate, spreading, 4-5-cleft, with lanceolate acute lobes, 

 and a tomentose throat. Stamens 4-5, hardly exserted. Stigma 

 capitate, bifid : having the lobes approximate (ex Rich.). Fruit 

 pear-shaped, 6-8-striped, but not crowned, containing 4-5 1- 

 seeded, bony, combined pyrenae. Embryo inverted. Albumen 

 fleshy. Small glabrous trees, natives of the Mauritius. Leaves 

 on short petioles. Stipulas lanceolate, acuminated, rather longer 

 than the petioles. Peduncles axillary, 1-3-flowered. The num- 

 ber of the cells of the fruit is variable. 



1 P. OLEO!DES (Lam. ill. no. 1484. t. 65. f. 3.) leaves oblong, 

 obtuse; stipulas glabrous ; peduncles 1-3-flowered; drupes 8- 

 seeded. *? . S. Native of the Island of Bourbon, where it is 

 called Bois Mussard. P. Commersoni, Gmel. syst. 1. p. 247. 

 P. salicifolia, Willd. spec. 1. p. 614. 



Olive-like Pyrostria. Tree 20 feet. 



2 P. HEXASPE'RMA (Roxb. fl. ind. 1. p. 403.) leaves oblong, 

 acute ; stipulas pilose ; corymbs axillary, dichotomous, with 

 recurved branches ; drupes 6-seeded. ^ . S. Native of the 

 East Indies in the Island of Hominoa. 



Six-seeded Pyrostria. Tree. 



3 P. ORBICULA'RIS (A. Rich, 1. c.) leaves oval-orbicular, ses- 

 sile at the base and rather cordate, obtuse at the apex ; stipulas 

 glabrous ; peduncles 1 -flowered, furnished each with an involucel 

 composed of 2 keeled leaves, which girds the flower. I? . S. 

 Native of the Island of Bourbon. 



Orbicular-leaved Pyrostria. Shrub. 



4 P. CORDIFO'LIA (A. Rich, 1. c.) leaves oval, acute, rather 

 cordate at the base, on very short petioles ; stipulas combined, 

 sheath-formed, obtuse, and permanent ; flowers pedicellate, 

 solitary, girded by scales, which are combined into the form of 

 an involucel ; lobes of corolla oval, acute. ^ . S. Native of 

 the Mauritius. 



Heart-leaved Pyrostria. Tree small. 



5 P. POLYMORPHA (A. Rich, 1. c.) leaves sometimes linear- 

 lanceolate, sessile, variegated : sometimes orbicular and obtuse, 

 petiolate : sometimes oblong-cordate, acute : stipulas acute, 

 hardly combined at the base, caducous ; flowers solitary, girded 

 each by a 3-4-toothed tomentose involucel ; lobes of corolla lan- 

 ceolate. Jj . S. Native of the Mauritius. 



Variable Pyrostria. Tree small. 



6 P. MACROPHY'LLA (A. Rich,!, c.) leaves oval-oblong, some- 

 what cordate, on short petioles, scrobiculate in the axils of the 

 veins beneath ; stipulas glabrous ; flowers sessile, solitary, axil- 

 lary, girded each by a 2-leaved involucel. ^ S. Native of the 

 Mauritius. Fruit egg-shaped, ribbed, crowned by the calyx. 



Long-leaved Pyrostria. Tree small. 



Cult. For culture and propagation see Hamiltonia, p. 555. 



CXXII. OCTA'VIA (from Octavus, the eighth ; in reference 

 to the drupe containing 8 pyrenae). D. C. prod. 4. p. 404. 



LIN. SYST. Pentandria, Monogynia ? Calyx with a globose 

 tube, and a truncate hardly conspicuous limb. Corolla, stamens, 

 and style unknown. Ovarium crowned by a fleshy shining perma- 

 nent disk, which is perforated in the middle. Drupe fleshy, glo- 

 bose, smooth, not crowned by the calyx, containing 8 1 -seeded 

 pyrenae, which are disposed in a whorl. Albumen fleshy. Em- 

 bryo unknown. A glabrous shrub, native of Guiana. Leaves 

 petiolate, oval, long-acuminated, membranous, shining above. 

 Bracteas ovate-oblong, acuminated, erect, much shorter than the 

 petioles, falling off very slowly. Flowers sessile, solitary, bract- 

 less, in the axils of the superior leaves, or on the tops of the 

 branchlets. This genus is not sufficiently known from the want 



