MELASTOMACE^. 31 



As seen, we adopt the division of the Melastomacece into Melastomece, 

 Astroniew and Blakeece, which three series are thus characterized : 



I. Melastome^.' — Flowers with free ovary or more or less 

 " adherent " in the lower part, divided into 2-oo multiovulate cells. 

 Placentas thick, prominent, inserted in the internal angle of the cells 

 and at mid height. Fruit polyspermous, capsular or indehiscent and 

 more or less fleshy. Seeds small, straight or curved, with very small 

 • fleshy embryo rounded or nearly globular and equal or unequal 

 cotyledons. Trees and rarely herbs of both worlds. — 46 genera. 



We divide this series into ten sub-series : 



a. Eumelastomece (Osbechiece). — Fruit capsular or fleshy. Hairs 

 often starred. Seeds curved or cochleate. Stamens with connective 

 most frequently prolonged below the anther, often with anterior 

 prominences. (Old world.) 



b. Tibouchinece (Pleromece). — Fruit capsular, free or nearly so. 

 Seeds. Hairs rarely starred. Stamens of EumelastomecB. (New 

 world.) 



c. Microliciece. — Fruit capsular. Seeds ovoid or oblong. Stamens 

 of Eumelastomece. (New world.) 



d. Bertoloniece (Sonerilece). — Ovary 3-5-celled. Fruit capsular, 

 depressed at summit. Seeds straight or sUghtly curved. Stamens 

 with connective bare or furnished with anterior prominences, or with 

 anterior and posterior. (Both worlds.) 



e. Rousseauxiece. — Ovary 4-celled, half free. Fruit capsular. 

 Stamens (8) with connective not prolonged and without appendages. 

 Seeds straight (?). Anthers not undulated. (Old world.) 



f. Oxysporece. — Ovary with cells equal in number to that of petals. 

 Fruit capsular. Stamens with connective pointed or spurred out- 

 wardly, generally without anterior appendage. Seeds straight, oblong 

 or angular, with raphe often prominent. , (Old world.) 



g. Medinillece (Dissochetew) . — Fruit fleshy or coriaceous, indehiscent 

 or breaking irregularly. Seeds straight or slightly curved, with raphe 

 often prominent. Anthers often recurved, without prominence or 

 with dorsal or ventral prominences. (Old world.) 



h. RhexiecE. —Fmit dry. Seeds cochleate. Stamens but slightly 

 unequal, or very dissimilar, the largest oppositipetalous. Connective 

 with dorsal appendage. (New world.) 



' Melastomece Ser. lac. cit.-B. H. Ge„. 726, Subord. (I Tpa.Tt).-C/iarianthea Per. (part). 



