Sonen'/a.] Melastomacecs. 205 



apex ; cal.-tube slightly hairy, segm. often strongly ciliate 

 anth. bluntly pointed. 



Montane zone; rare. Adam's Peak; Dolosbagie ; Var. ft only at the 

 foot of the cone of Adam's Peak on the southern side. Fl. March and 

 April ; pale pink. 



Endemic. 



I follow Stapf in combining these under one species. Thwaites con- 

 sidered some of his specimens to be hybrids between the two. 



6. S. birsutula, Am. in Comp. Bot. Mag. ii. 307 (1836). [Plate 

 XXXIX.] 



Thw. Enum. 108. Cogn. 1. c. 503. C. P. 276. 

 Fl. B. Ind. ii. 534. 



Stems 2 ft. or more high, semi-woody at base, much 

 branched, densely covered, especially at nodes, with long, stiff, 

 spreading hair; 1. i-i| in., broadly ovate, rounded or cordate 

 at base, obtuse at apex, spinous-serrate, very hairy on both 

 sides, usually 7- (sometimes 5-) nerved, petiole variable, often 

 longer than 1., very hairy ; racemes short, few-flowered, hairy, 

 fl. large, about 1 in. ; cal. hairy ; anth. elongated, rostrate, the 

 cells divaricate at base ; capsule over \ in., nearly smooth, 

 ribs prominent. 



Upper montane zone ; rare. Pedurutalagala ; foot of Totapella ; 

 Horton Plains. Fl. Jan.-April; deep rosy-pink or pale purplish. 



Endemic. 



A beautiful plant, the flowers nearly as large as those of S. Gdrdneri. 



7 S. Gardneri, Thw. Enum. 107 (1859). 



Cogn. 1. c. 496. C. P. 63. 



Fl. B. Ind. ii. 532. Bedd. Ic. Ind. Or. t. 298. 



Stem i-ivr ft. high, woody below, very slightly branched, 

 densely covered with short, dark red, glandular hairs ; 1. \-\\ 

 in., very shortly stalked, broadly ovate, rounded or subcordate 

 at the equal base, acute or obtuse at apex, finely spinous- 

 serrate, hairy on both sides, paler beneath, 5- or 7-nerved ; 

 raceme lax, glandular-hairy, fl. very large, over 1 in., cal. 

 glandular-hairy ; anth. shortly acuminate, not beaked ; cap- 

 sule g in., broadly ovoid, faintly ribbed, glandular-pubescent. 

 Var. ft, firma, Thw. ex Triana, I. c. 75 (sp.). C. P. 3873. 



L. under \ in., crowded and overlapping, quite sessile ; fl. 

 smaller, fruit not seen. 



Montane zone at about 5000 ft.; very rare. On the southern slope of 

 Horton Plains near Galagama, first found by Gardner. Var. ft, on 

 Wattckelle Hill; on Adam's Peak. Fl. Feb., March; dark pink. 



Endeink. 



and .V. Irirsutula have the largest flowers of the Ceylon species. 

 Very distinct by its capsule. A plant from Dumbanagala Hill, Kangala, 

 seems to be this, but is not in II. or fruit 



