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MELASTOMACE^,. 257 



53. M. prasina, DC. Leaves glabrous, oblong or elliptical-oblong, acuminate or point- 

 leted, triplinerved, petioled ; panicle trichotomous, powdery : flowers clustered or shortly- 

 serial J calyx-tube at length furrowed ; anthers 10 ; ovary 3(-4)-locular : stigma thickened, 

 blunt. — Melastoma, iSw. M. triuervium et quinijuenerviuni, Sahm. PI. Bah. I Micouia 

 attenuata, i)(7., Owc^. / M. collina, i)C. M. macrophylla, £f^»c?. / M. palustris, Ifac/'. 

 — A common shrub, 4'-25' high, variable in growth, texture, and margin of the leaves, 

 shape of calyx, and size of flower ; leaves 4"-8'' long, usually somewhat leathery, sabentire 

 or crenate-repand ; calyx -tnbe ovate ; petals whitish, l"'-2"' long ; anthers biauricled at the 

 base; berry blue or almost black. — Hab. Jamaica!, all coll., to Trinidad !, O. ; in woods 

 and open situations ; [Haiti; Panama to Brazil!]. 



tt Seeds obovate, tdth the embryo straight. 



54. M. leevigata, BC. Leaves glabrous or glabrescent, ovate-lanceolate, taper-pointed, 

 trinerved, petioled; panicle trichotomous, powdery; flowers shortly serial; calyx-tube jat 

 length furrowed; anthers 10; ovary 3-locular: stigma blunt. — Aubl. 1. 159. Bonpl. Mel! t. 

 21: Mel. pyramidalis (« denticulate form with small flowers); )!. 35: Mel. pendulifolia 

 {the same with larger flowers). — Mel. lEBvigata, Aubl. Miconia pyjaniidalis, nicotianasfolia, 

 pendulifolia, havanensis, trichotoma, ceanothina, BC. M. afinis, microcarpa, parviflora, ( 

 Macf. — k. shrub, usually 4-10' high, extremely common in the West Indies, variable chiefly 

 in the margin of the leaves, the down, and the size and arrangement of the flowers : safely 

 to be distinguished from M, prasina, DC, by the lateral leaf-ribs proceeding from the base 

 of the midrib ; leaves 4"-10"long, entire or denticulate; calyx-tube ovate-, petals white or 

 flesh-coloured, l"'-3"' long ; connective biauricled at the base on the anterior, tubercled ou 

 the posterior side ; berry black. — Hab. Jamaica I to Trinidad !," all coll., Sieb. Tr.^t, every- 

 where in all the islands ; [Cuba! and Mexico I toPauama! and Guiana]. 



55. M. myriantha, Benth. Leaves glabrous above, glabrescent beneath, oblong- 

 lanceolate, taper-pointed, trinerved, petioled; panicle spreading, many-flowered, powdery 

 and glabrescent : TiHim&te flovjers shortly pedicellate ; calyx-tube not furrowed ; anthers 10; 

 ovary 3-locular: stigma minute, blunt. — M. tristis. Spring I M. depauperata, Qardn.i 

 M. melanodendron, Naud. I Glossoceutrum collinum, Crueg. ! Melastoma pendulum, 

 Sahm. PI. Bah. I — A shrub, 8'-10' high ; leaves 4"-5" long, black in drying, rounded at 

 the base, entire : petiole 3"'-4"' long'; calyx-tube ovate, powdery : teeth minute ; petals 

 white, l"'long, obovafe-oblong, equalling the length of the calyx; anthers biauricled at the 

 base or spurred : ihe spur variable in length ; berry 1'" diam. — Hab. Triuidad I, Cr. ; [New 

 Granada!, Guiana!, Brazil !]. 



§ § Panicle contracted, spidform. Seeds obovate. 



56. M. multispicata, Naud. Branchlets, petioles, and under side of leaf-ribs tomen- 

 tose ; leaves elliptical, pointleted, rounded at the base, subtriplinerved, with the exception of 

 the under side of the ribs glabrous ; panicle contracted, interrupted below : clusters of flow- 

 ers on its primary, reduced branches; calyx-tube not furrowed, hoary-downy; anthers 10, 

 with the terminal pore partitioned ; ovary 3-locular ; stigma capitate. — ^Cremauium inte- 

 grifolium, Macf. — Leaves 3"-6" long, papery, shining, entire : petiole 6"'-8"' long ; calyx- 

 tube ovate ; teeth ovate ; petals somewhat clawed, roundish, l"'-2"' diam., reflexed and 

 shorter than the calyx-tube ; anthers biauricled at the base : filaments shortly inflexed in the 

 bud; berry black. — Hab. Jamaica!, Pd., Al. 



57. M. trinervis, 6r. Glabrous ; leaves elliptical-lanceolate, tapering at both ends, 

 shortly petioled, trinerved ; panicle contracted, interrupted : clusters of flowers subsessile on 

 the primary axis ; calyx-tube not furrowed, glabrous; anthers 10, with the terminal joore 

 partitioned; ovary 3-4-locular: stigma blunt.^- Melastoma, Sw. ! Miconia hexaptera, 

 Naud. M. spicata, Macf. ! Cremanium trinerve, Macf. — A shrub, 6'-8' high, with the 

 younger branches tetragonal ; leaves 6"-l 2" long, obsoletely crenate or subentire ; calyx- 

 teeth minute or obsolete ; petals " oval, white." — ^This species, as well as the following one, 

 presents the ovary crowned by a neck, encircling the base of the style : but as this structure 

 is not observable in M. multispicata, so nearly related to. this, no reliance can be put on the 

 character. — Hab. Jamaica!, Pd., M'Nab, Al., Wils., in mountain thickets. 



58. M. furfuracca, Gr. Branchlets and petioles rushj-tomentose with furfuraceous 



