VIII, C, 4 
Merrill: Philippine Melastomataceae, I 
209 
KEY TO THE SPECIES 
1. Leaves boldly 3-nerved from base to apex, the marginal pair much more 
prominent than, and not at all arched between the ends of the pinnate 
lateral ones 1. M. oligoneuron 
1. Leaves pinnately nerved to nerveless, the submarginal nerves, when 
present, always arched-anastomosing with the ends of the pinnate 
lateral ones. 
2. Branches and branchlets terete, not at all angled or winged, and not 
even sulcate. 
3. Leaves distinctly petioled, acute or rounded at the base, the nerves 
not prominent, sometimes obsolete. 
4. Lateral nerves entii-ely obsolete, rarely slightly evident and then 
not at all anastomosing. 
5. Peduncles very slender, up to 6 cm in length.... 2. M. tenuipes 
5. Peduncles short, never more than 3 cm in length. 
6. Inflorescence less than 1.5 cm long, few-flowered; leaves 5 
cm long or less 3. M. gitingense 
6. Inflorescence 2 to 7 cm long, many-flowered, leaves 6 to 12 
cm long, always turning pale yellowish-green in drying. 
4. M. lanceolatum 
4. Lateral nerves slender, distinct but not prominent, usually dis- 
tinctly or indistinctly anastomosing with the faint, arched, 
submarginal nerves. 
5. Flowers fascicled or crowded in very shortly peduncled cymes, 
the whole inflorescence shorter than the petioles. 
5. M. odoratum 
5. Flowers in open, many-flowered more or less lax cymes which 
are always longer than the petioles. 
6. Inflorescence distinctly dark brown-furfuraceous. 
6. M. suhfurfuraceum 
6. Inflorescence entirely glabrous. 
7. Leaves rounded at the base, very thickly coriaceous, shin- 
ing, always brown or brownish when dry.. 7. M. ovatum 
7. Leaves acute at the base, pale or olivaceous, not brown, 
when dry. 
8. Inflorescence 2 cm long or less 8. M. brachybotrys 
8. Inflorescence 3 to 6 cm long. 
9. Lateral nerves evident, distinctly anastomosing. 
9. M. apoense 
9. Lateral nerves not or very indistinctly anastomosing. 
10. M. basilanense 
3. Leaves sessile or subsessile, distinctly cordate at the base, rarely 
merely rounded, the lateral nerves always prominent and anas- 
tomosing with the prominent, arched, submarginal nerves. 
4. Leaves rounded, obtuse, or retuse at the apex. 
11. M. diversifoliuvi 
4. Leaves acute or acuminate. 
5. Leaves mostly less than 12 cm in length, the inflorescence 
quite glabrous, terminal and lateral 12. M. affine 
5. Leaves 15 to 30 cm long, the inflorescence more or less furfura- 
ceous, mostly lateral. 
