Checklist

Unranked:

MELASTOMATACEAE

Memecylon

Source:

SSA

Synonym(s):

Eugenia Sond.: 523 (1862) in part.

Description:

Trees or shrubs, usually completely glabrous, young branches narrowly 4-winged, 4-gonous or terete. Leaves entire, longitudinally 1-3(-5)-nerved, shortly petiolate. Flowers 4-merous, small or minute, in fascicles or in cymes forming panicle-like or corymbose inflorescences; bracts minute. Receptacle broadly campanulate, hemispherical or cupular, limb +/- dilated, truncate, 4-toothed or -lobed. Petals broadly ovate, obovate, circular-subdeltate, obtuse or apiculate, whitish or bluish. Stamens 8, equal, sometimes 4 with abortive anthers; filaments filiform; anthers axe-shaped, with 2 anterior thecae dehiscing by 2 longitudinal slits and usually with a gland on the concave back. Ovary 1-locular, wholly adherent to receptacle, sunken or convex at apex; style filiform; ovules 2-12(-20), on a central placenta. Fruit an ovoid, globose or ellipsoid, 1(2)-seeded berry, crowned by persistent calyx. Seeds large; cotyledons crumpled or not so. x = 7 (12?) (polyploidy).

Distribution:

Species 150, Old World: Africa to Asia and Australia, +/- 50 in Africa; 3 in sthn Afr., KwaZulu-Natal to Eastern Cape border area.

Melastomastrum

Naudin

Source:

SSA

Description:

Herbs, undershrubs or shrubs, usually hairy. Leaves shortly petiolate, rarely sessile, more or less oblong-lanceolate, entire, 3-5-nerved. Flowers solitary, in heads, or shortly panicled, enclosed within large, persistent bracts. Calyx 5-lobed; tube cylindric, mouth sometimes contracted; lobes persistent, without appendages. Characters of corolla and other parts of flowers very similar to those of Dissotis.

Distribution:

Species 4, Africa; 1 in sthn Afr.: Melastomastrum segregatum (Benth.) A.Fern. & R.Fern., northern border of Namibia including Caprivi.

Heterocentron

Hook. & Arn.

Source:

SSA

Description:

Herbs or shrubs. Leaves small, entire, 3-15-nerved, petiolate. Flowers solitary or in panicles, small, white, rose or purple, 4-merous. Stamens 8, dimorphic. Ovary often setose. Fruit a 4-valved capsule. x = 9 (polyploidy).

Distribution:

Species +/- 27, herbs and shrubs native to S Mexico and central America; naturalised in Hawaii, Jamaica, Java and New Guinea. * Heterocentron macrostachyum Naud., first record from sthn Afr. at PRE, collected at White River (Mpumalanga).

Dissotis

Benth.

Source:

SSA

Synonym(s):

Osbeckia Sond.: 518 (1862); Jacques-Felix: 238 (1995) in part.

Description:

Herbs, undershrubs, or shrubs, usually hairy. Leaves shortly petiolate, usually oblong-lanceolate or lanceolate, entire, 3-5-nerved. Flowers solitary, capitate or in short, terminal panicles; bracts sometimes present, small. Calyx 4- or 5-lobed; tube ovoid or campanulate, produced above ovary, glabrous or with stellate bristles, or scales; lobes nearly as long as tube, often alternating with bristly teeth or thick processes, persistent or deciduous. Petals 4 or 5, obovate, sessile. Stamens 8-10, unequal; characterised by a connective or pedoconnective incurved at back, without heel or 'talon', provided with 2 lateral appendages; anthers linear, with wavy margins, opening by a terminal pore. Ovary adnate to wall of calyx tube, 4- or 5-locular, with many ovules in each locule, glandular-hairy, hirsute or with a crown of setae at apex; style straight or curved, usually longer than stamens; stigma simple or subcapitate. Fruit a capsule, included in persistent calyx. Seed small, cochleate. x = 17 (10, 16?).

Distribution:

Species +/- 120, Africa; +/- 3 in sthn Afr., Namibia, Botswana, Northern Province, North-West, Mpumalanga, Swaziland, throughout KwaZulu-Natal to Eastern Cape border area.

Antherotoma

(Naudin) Hook.f.

Source:

SSA

Description:

Herbs, often unbranched, covered with setae. Leaves opposite, subsessile, spaced, usually lanceolate, entire. Flowers few, congested at ends of stems or branches. Calyx 4-lobed; tube membranous, campanulate; lobes shorter than tube, ovate, obtuse, with few long setae. Petals 4, arising in mouth of calyx tube, obovate, scarcely clawed, with few setae at tip. Stamens 8, equal, arising in mouth of calyx tube, about as long as petals; dorsifixed; pedoconnective (prolongation of connective below anther thecae) strictly without heel or 'talon,' outgrowth often reduced but always present, bilobed or bipartite; anthers 1-thecous, opening by a terminal pore. Ovary inferior, 4-locular, with many ovules in each locule, with a crown of setae at apex; style thick, terete, slightly longer than stamens; stigma subcapitate. Fruit a capsule enclosed in calyx. Seed sculptured.

Distribution:

Species 11 in Africa, formerly included in either Osbeckia or Dissotis; 3 in sthn Afr., Namibia, Botswana, Northern Province, North-West, Gauteng, Mpumalanga, Swaziland, KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape.

Warneckea

Gilg

Description:

Trees or shrubs; young branchlets 4-angled to subterete, usually thickened at nodes, later terete. Leaves subsessile to shortly petiolate , longitudinally 3-nerved, lateral nerves mostly not merging with middle nerve near apex; sphaeroidal sclereids present and surface therefore often granular. Inflorescences (1)2- to many-flowered cymes, axillary or on old wood, sometimes arranged in axillary panicles; bracts minute. Flowers 4-merous, small. Calyx: tube/receptacle subhemispheric to broadly campanulate; limb 4-toothed or -lobed. Petals broadly ovate, whitish or bluish. Stamens 8, equal, sometimes 4 with abortive anthers. Ovary 1-locular, adherent to calyx tube/receptacle; style filiform; ovules 2-12, on a central placenta. Fruit a +/- globose 1(2)-seeded berry crowned by persistent calyx. Seeds large; embryo straight, without hypocotyl, cotyledons unequal or 1 rudimentary.

Distribution:

Species +/- 30, trop. Africa; sthn trop.Afr. 8, Angola, Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique.

Source:

SSTA

Synonym(s):

Memecylon L. in part; Fernandes & Fernandes: 116 (1970); Fernandes & Fernandes: 220 (1978).

Tristemma

Juss.

Description:

Perennial herbs or shrubs, with sharply 4-angular or -winged stems and branches, hairy or bristly. Leaves opposite, longitudinally 5-7-nerved. Flowers 5-merous, sessile or subsessile, in terminal heads surrounded by leaves and leafy bracts; inner bracts coriaceous, chaffy or membranous. Calyx: tube/receptacle ovoid or ovoid-oblong, glabrous or densely setose in upper half or with 1-6 rings of bristles; lobes persistent, +/- reflexed, ciliate at margin; intersepalar segments 0. Petals mauve, pink or blue-violet rarely white. Stamens 10, subequal; anthers lanceolate, all similar, yellow, pedoconnective short with an anterior 2-lobed or 2-fid appendage at base. Ovary 5-locular, adnate to calyx tube/receptacle all around to above middle. Capsule 5-valved, with fleshy placentas, usually splitting irregularly. Seeds many, cochleate.

Distribution:

Species 15, trop. Africa to Madagascar; sthn trop. Afr. +/- 4, Angola, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique.

Source:

SSTA

Spathandra

Guill. & Perr.

Description:

Shrubs or trees; branches rounded. Leaves large, coriaceous, subsessile; lamina ovate-elliptic, entire, veins parallel-convergent, 3 strong, 2 marginal ones weak. Inflorescences many-flowered, stipitate, puberulose cymes with well-developed peduncles and pedicels, terminal, axillary or on old wood; prefloral branches and flowers often umbellate; bracteoles at base of pedicels, not immediately below calyx. Calyx: tube/receptacle deeply cup-shaped with broadly triangular lobes. Petals triangular, valvate in bud, blue, white or purple. Stamens: anthers erect, connective +/- parallel, curved towards back, with a gland, divergent only at base. Ovary 1-locular, without any partitions or parietal projections; ovules 6-8 on a central placenta; style filiform; stigma capitate. Fruit spherical, crowned with remains of calyx. Seeds 1(2); embryo curved, cotyledons foliaceous, hemispheric.

Distribution:

Species 5, trop. Africa and Madagascar; sthn trop. Afr. 1: Spathandra blakeoides (G.Don) Jacq.-Fel., Angola.

Source:

SSTA

Synonym(s):

Memecylon L. in part; Keay: 263 (1954); Fernandes & Fernandes: 120 (1970).

Ochthocharis

Blume

Description:

Perennial herbs, shrubs or undershrubs, young branches, petioles, peduncles and pedicels covered with minute rusty hairs. Leaves opposite, usually +/- equal at same node, ovate to broadly ovate, petiolate, with 5-7 longitudinal nerves. Inflorescences of terminal and axillary paniculate cymes. Flowers 5-merous. Calyx: tube/receptacle obovoid, shallowly undulate at margin, covered with very small brown hairs; lobes 0. Petals broadly ovate, +/- oblique, violet or rose. Stamens 10, equal or subequal; anthers linear, straight, with pedoconnective produced into a posterior, thick +/- square appendage and provided with 2 anterior subglobose tubercles. Ovary adnate by septa to inferior half of calyx tube/receptacle, 5-locular, with multi-ovulate placentas; style longer than stamens. Fruit capsular, dehiscing irregularly. Seeds many, curved.

Distribution:

Species 7: 5 tropical Asia, 2 trop. Africa; sthn trop. Afr. 1: Ochthocharis dicellandroides (Gilg) C.Hansen & Wickens, Angola, Zambia.

Source:

SSTA

Synonym(s):

Phaeoneuron Gilg; Fernandes & Fernandes: 161 (1970); Fernandes & Fernandes: 272 (1978).

Guyonia

Naudin

Description:

Annual herbs; stems creeping, rooting at nodes, branches erect, 4-angled. Leaves decussate, petiolate, +/- ovate, membranous, crenulate, sparsely setose above and on nerves beneath; nerves 3-5, parallel-convergent. Flowers (4)5(-7)-merous, terminal or axillary, solitary or 2 or 3 together subtended, but not enveloped, by a caducous dentate-ciliate bract. Calyx: tube/receptacle ovoid; lobes linear-triangular, persistent, without intersepalar appendages. Petals obovate, delicate, pale pink. Stamens equal to slightly unequal; anthers ovoid to oblong-ellipsoid; connective produced below anther, with 2 inconspicuous tubercular anterior protuberances at junction with filament. Ovary adherent to calyx tube in lower half, ovoid, glabrous; style sigmoid; stigma capitate. Fruit a valvate capsule within membranous calyx which tends to rupture irregularly. Seeds relatively large and few, attenuate towards funicular end, upper half rounded, tuberculate or papillose.

Distribution:

Species 2, tropical W Africa; sthn trop. Afr. 1: Guyonia ciliata Hook.f., Angola.

Source:

SSTA

GATEWAY TO AFRICAN PLANTS

Un outil dicisif vers l'identification des plantes africaines

MELASTOMATACEAE

Memecylon

Melastomastrum

Heterocentron

Dissotis

Antherotoma

Warneckea

Tristemma

Spathandra

Ochthocharis

Guyonia

Pages

Search form

You are here

Checklist

MELASTOMATACEAE

Pages