354 
RON 
Stipules roundish-acuminate, in threes, alternating with 
the leaves. Racemes hirsute, unequal, branched axil¬ 
lary, an inch and half in length. Flowers small, reddish, 
sessile and pedutrcled, void of scent. Fruit two-valved with 
the partition opposite to the valves.—Native of America and 
Jamaica; flowering in February. 
4. Rondeletia virgata.—Leaves roundish, branches filiform, 
spreading, peduncles trifid, flowers clustered four sta- 
mened.—This is a shrub, a fathom in height, with very long, 
alternately spreading, unarmed branches, with a rugged 
bark. Leaves opposite, half an inch long, entire, subreflex, 
veined, paler underneath, quite smooth, on very short 
petioles. Stipules between the petioles, small, acute. Ped¬ 
uncles axillary and terminating, opposite, elongated, upright, 
having a pair or two of leaves, three-parted or terminating, 
only three-flowered and leafless. Flowers terminating, sub- 
sessile, or sometimes on very short pedicels, upright, dusky- 
purple, silky-pubescent on the outside. Bractes very small, 
linear, two or four, under the flowers. Calyx four-leaved. 
Leaflets linear, upright. Corolla salver-shaped ; tube fili¬ 
form, widening a little at top; border four-parted; segments 
convex, with a yellow notched ring placed on the aperture. 
Filaments four, very short, in the middle of the tube; anthers 
linear, striated, yellow. Style longer than the stamens, awl- 
shaped. Stigma below the ring of the aperture bifid; seg¬ 
ments obtuse. Capsule subdidymous, hoary-pubescent, 
crowned with the calyx, two-celled, two-valved, with the 
partition contrary. Seeds very many, acuminate, compressed, 
small, brown, inserted or fastened to their proper ovate 
receptacle in each cell.—Native of Hispaniola, in maritime 
coppices towards the north ; flowering and bearing fruit in 
December. 
5 . Rondeletia pilosa.—Leaves ovate, hairy on both sides, 
peduncles axillary, shorter than the leaves, trifid. Flowers 
four-stamened.—This is a shrub with round or four-cornered 
branches, leafy towards the top. Leaves opposite, two or 
three inches long, hairy. Petioles short, villose. Stipules 
between the petioles, acuminate, hairy. Peduncles opposite, 
filiform, hairy, at the top trifid, the flowers pedicelled. Bractes 
two, awl-shaped at the base of the lateral pedicels; and two 
others at the base of the germ, shorter by half than the calyx. 
Calyx four-parted; segments villose. Corolla salver-shaped; 
tube subcylindrical, the length of the calycine segments, 
wider at top, on the outside villose or somewhat silky. Fila¬ 
ments four, very short, inserted in the tube above the middle; 
anthers oblong, linear, included. Germ villose; style the 
length of the tube; segments of the stigma linear, blunt. 
Capsule small, subglobular, twin, villose, two-valved with 
the partition contrary. Seeds numerous, brown.—Native of 
the West Indies, ip the islands of Santa Cruz and Mont¬ 
serrat. 
II. With sub-solitary seeds. 
6 . Rondeletia thyrsoidea.—Leaves oblong, acute, mem¬ 
branaceous, pubescent underneath, thyrses axillary.—This 
is a small tree or shrub six feet high, branched, upright, even, 
with an ash-coloured bark. Branches simple, almost upright, 
long, spreading, round or bluntly four-cornered, smooth. 
Leaves opposite decussated, three inches long. Stipules 
between and above the petioles, pressed to the branchlet, 
wide and ovate. Thyrses solitary opposite, shorter than the 
leaves, oblong, spreading; on a common petiole, an inch 
in length, angular, striated, smooth; branehlets opposite, 
decussated, subdivided ; the outmost commonly three-flow¬ 
ered. Flowers small, dull, whitish-yellow or ferruginous. 
Bractes small, awl-shaped, or little leaflets under the rami¬ 
fications of the thyrse. Calyx very minute, five-toothed. 
Tube of the corolla elongated cylindrical; border five-parted; 
segments roundish. Filaments five, inserted into the upper 
part of the tube ; anthers very small, ovate, pale, placed in 
the very aperture. Germ roundish ; style awl-shaped, bifid 
at the top; stigmas simple. Capsule roundish, with a groove 
along the middle, the size of a coriander seed, crowned with 
the very small calyx, two-celled; having two angular- 
rounded, striated seeds in each cell.—Native of the driest 
RON 
hills of Jamaica, in the western part of the island ; flower¬ 
ing in May; the flowers smell very sweet during the night. 
7. Rondeletia racemosa.—Leaves lanceolate-ovate, acumi¬ 
nate, smooth on both sides, stipules elliptic with a short 
point, racemes axillary, trichotomous, patulous.—This is a 
shrub with round spreading branches, covered with an irre¬ 
gular hoary bark; branehlets four-cornered. Leaves decus¬ 
sated, quite entire. Petioles longish, four-cornered, smooth. 
Racemes solitary, opposite, from upright spreading, shorter 
than the leaves; common peduncle the length of the petioles, 
compressed; branches decussated, almost horizontal, with 
sessile awl-shaped spreading bractes, every where at the sub¬ 
divisions of the raceme; flowers pedicelled, distinct not clus¬ 
tered. Calyx small, with five very short upright teeth. 
Corolla small; tube short, oblong, equal; border five-parted, 
segments ovate, spreading, pubescent; aperture naked, five- 
cornered ; filaments from the middle of the tube; anthers 
oblong, yellowish in the aperture of the tube. Germ ovate, 
smooth ; style simple, upright, the length of the tube; stigma 
thickish, with the apex more acute and undivided. Capsule 
ovate, crowned with the calyx, smooth. Seeds convex on 
one side, flat on the other, joined at the middle, distinct 
from the partition at the sides.—Native of Jamaica, on the 
mountains. 
8 . Rondeletia laurifolia.—Leaves lanceolate, oblong, acute, 
smooth on both sides, stipules deltoid, racemes compound, 
axillary, erect, tube of the flowers very short.—Native of 
Jamaica. 
9. Rondeletia tomentosa. — Leaves ovate, acuminate, 
tomentose, peduncles three-parted, axillary, short. 
It differs from Rondeletia thyrsoidea in being smaller, in 
having the leaves pubescent on both sides, and tomentose 
underneath, and the racemes, flowers and fruit, very small. 
10. Rondeletia umbellulata. — Leaves lanceolate-ovate, 
acute, sub-hirsute, peduncles axillary, trichotomous at top, 
flowers sub-umbelled. 
It is distinguished by its shagginess, the size of the flowers, 
and the inflorescence. 
11. Rondeletia incana.—Leaves ovate-lanceolate, under¬ 
neath hoary, rugged, peduncles axillary, simple, three-flow¬ 
ered. 
12. Rondeletia hirsuta.—Leaves oblong, acute, hirsute, 
peduncles axillary, trichotomous, loose; flowers hirsute. 
13. Rondeletia hirta.—Leaves oblong, acuminate, rough¬ 
haired, rigid nerved underneath, peduncles axillary, tricho¬ 
tomous, erect. 
14. Rondeletia buxifolia.—Leaves obovate, smooth; flow¬ 
ers four-stamened, axillary, solitary. 
Propagation and Culture. —These plants being very 
tender cannot be preserved in England, unless they are kept 
in a warm stove. They are propagated by seeds, which 
should be sown on a hot-bed early in the spring ; and when 
tire plants are come up and fit to remove, they must be trans¬ 
planted into separate small pots, and plunged into a mode¬ 
rate hot-bed of tanner’s-bark, where they must be treated in 
the same manner as hath been directed for other tender 
plants from the West Indies: in winter they must be placed 
in the tan-bed in the stove, where the plants wili thrive, and 
in two or three years will flower, and make an agreeable 
variety amongst other tender exotic plants, as they retain 
their leaves all the year. 
RONDIZONE, a small town in the north-west of Italy, 
in Piedmonr, north of the Po, on the river called Doria 
Baltea. Population 2500; 20 miles north-north-east of 
Turin. 
RO'NDLE, s. [rondclle, old Fr.] A round mass.— 
Certain rondles given in arms, have their names according 
to their several colours. Peacham. 
RO'NDURE, s. [ rondeur , Fr.] A circle; a round. 
Not in use. 
All things rare 
That heaven’s air in this huge rondure hems. Shakspeare. 
RONG, the old pret. and part, of ring. —A fool’s bell is 
&oone ronge. Chaucer. 
RONGERES, 
