2 12 MelastomaceCB. [Memecylon. 



narrowed to base, usually shortly acuminate, obtuse, thick, 

 pellucid-punctate, very prominently 3-nerved ; fl. very small, 

 sessile, few, in axillary fascicles, peduncle very short or o ; 

 cal.-tube campanulate, segm. broad ; pet. oval, distant, disk 

 without radiating ridges ; fruit \ in., purplish-black. 



Moist region, principally in the lower montane zone, but going down 

 to 2000 ft; rather rare. Dimbula; Maskeliya ; Ambagamuwa; near 

 Ratnapura. Fl. Jan.-April; white. 



Endemic. 



Cogniaux distinguishes his M. Thwaitesiihy broader and more obtuse 

 leaves, more coriaceous and drying of a pale colour, which characters 

 appear to indicate the form at the higher elevations. 



3. IVX. Hookeri, Thw. Enum. 113 (1859). Kevitiya-kera, S. 



(var. ft). 



Cogn. 1. c. 1 137. C. P. 2686. 

 Fl. B. Ind. ii. 554. 



A large shrub, 6-12 ft, slightly branched, bark grey, 

 flaking off in square pieces, branchlets stout, strongly 4-angled 

 with narrow wings on the angles ; 1. very large, 8-12 in., 

 sessile, cordate at base, oblong - lanceolate, tapering to 

 acuminate subacute apex, penninerved, veins very prominent 

 beneath, lat. ones numerous, joining a very strong intra- 

 marginal one at some distance from the edge ; fl. rather large 

 (for genus), numerous, ped. slender, twice as long as cal., sur- 

 rounded at base with a little involucre of acute white bractlets 

 and brown hair-like scales, very densely crowded in large 

 axillary clusters on the old wood, buds sharp-pointed ; cal- 

 segm. broadly oval, acute ; fruit large, § in., blackish-purple. 



Var. ft, exalatum, Trim. Syst. Cat. Ceyl. 35. C. P. 2686* 



Branchlets perfectly cylindrical, not winged ; ped. rather 

 shorter. 



Moist low country; rare. By streams in Ambagamuwa at 1000 ft. 

 Var. ft about Colmobo; common. Fl. July-November; purplish-blue, 

 buds pink. 



Endemic. 



Clarke refers var. ft to M. macrophyllum, but the texture and venation 

 of the leaves are entirely different in that species. 



4. IKE. "Wightii, Thw. Enum. 113 (1859). 



M. depressum, Benth., Triana, 1. c. 158. Cogn. 1. c. 1 145. C. P. 2570. 

 Fl. B. Ind. ii. 554. 



A small tree, branchlets slender, quadrangular, winged, 

 the wings broader beneath each node ; 1. 2-|- 4J in., sessile, or 

 very nearly so, cordate at base, lanceolate-oblong, tapering 

 to acuminate obtuse apex, margin more or less revolute, 

 thick, shining above, penninerved, lat. veins obscure ; fl. on 



