Memecylon] Melastomacece. 209 



ened beneath fl., buds pointed ; cal.-tube glabrous, segm. 

 small, tooth-like ; pet. erect, much imbricate, rotundate ; 

 anth. acute ; fruit about \ in., subglobose, dark purple. 



On trees in the upper montane zone ; rather rare. Nuwara Eliya ; 

 Horton Plains ; Hakgala. Fl. Feb.; bright purplish-pink. 

 Endemic. 



2. IK. maculata, Gardn. in Calc. Journ. Nat. Hist. viii. 13 (1847). 

 [Plate XL.] 



Thw. Enum. 106. C. P. 1578. 

 Fl. E. Ind. ii. 548. 



An epiphytic shrub with a climbing stem, very thick at 

 base, branches opposite, very numerous, quadrangular, the 

 angles often with a narrow undulated wing, bark grey, on 

 young shoots purplish ; 1. 1-2 in., variable, more or less oval, 

 rounded or subcordate at base, obtuse, rounded or emargi- 

 nate at apex, shallowly crenate, glabrous, dark green with 

 purple blotches above, paler and with very minute glandular 

 hairs beneath, somewhat fleshy, 3-nerved, petiole very short ; 

 fl. small, arranged as in last ; cal.-tube urceolate, glabrous, 

 limb spreading, almost truncate, fleshy ; pet. reflexed ; fruit 

 small, under \ in., subglobose, truncate, red. 



Yar. /3, cuneata, Thiv. Enum. I. c. Var. Thwaitesii, Clarke in 

 Fl. B. Ind. C. P. 3443- 



L. larger, 2-3 in., rotundate, tapering to a long cuneate 

 base, abruptly and shortly acuminate or retuse ; fi. and fruit 

 not seen. 



Epiphytic on trees in lower montane zone ; rather common. Hantane ; 

 Ambagamuwa ; Ramboda; Matale; Hunasgiriya; Knuckles. Var. /3, 

 moist low country; very rare. Hewesse, Pasdun Korale. Fl. Nov.; 

 pale pink. 



Endemic. 



Has much the appearance of a Loranthus. Var. /3 is very little known, 

 and perhaps a different species. 



6. MEIVIECYLON,* L. 



Shrubs or trees, 1. opp., entire, glabrous ; fi. small, in 

 axillary simple or compound umbellate cymes ; cal.-tube 

 campanulate, adnate to ov., limb more or less dilated, segm. 4, 

 often ill-defined ; pet. 4 ; stam. 8, equal, anth. short, opening 

 by slits, connective produced into a large horn below ; ov. 

 quite inferior, 1 -celled, surmounted by a depressed epigynous 

 disk usually marked with 8 radiating ridges, style simple, 



* The Greek name for the fruit of the Arbutus. It is not evident why 

 Linna.-us applied it to our ' Welikaha' (Al. capita 'latum). 



T II. P 



