Overview
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Endangered |
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Description
Family Melastomataceae
Herbs, shrubs
, or trees
(to 20 m
tall), erect
, climbing
, or rarely epiphytic. Stipules lacking. Leaves simple
, commonly opposite and decussate with one of a pair slightly smaller than other, rarely verticillate
or alternate by abortion
of one of a pair, usually 1-4(or 5) secondary veins on each side of midvein
, originating at or near base
and anastomosing apically, tertiary veins numerous, parallel, and connecting secondary veins and midvein but in Memecylon secondary veins pinnate and tertiary veins reticulate
. Inflorescences cymose
, umbellate
, corymbose
, in paniculate
clusters
, or a cincinnus, rarely flowers single, fascicled, or born on a spike; bracts sometimes conspicuous
and persistent
. Flowers bisexual
, actinomorphic
but androecium often slightly zygomorphic, usually (3 or) 4- or 5(or 6) -merous, perianth biseriate
, perigynous; bracteoles opposite, usually caducous
. Hypanthium funnel-shaped, campanulate
, cyathiform
, or urceolate
. Calyx lobes
(3-) 5(or 6), valvate
(rarely connate
, but not in Chinese species) . Petals (3-) 5(or 6), equal to number of sepals, distinct
, imbricate. Stamens usually twice as many as petals and in 2 whorls, rarely as many as petals by loss of 1 whorl, isomorphic
or dimorphic
; filaments
distinct, often geniculate
, inflexed
in bud; anthers
typically 2-celled, introrse
, basifixed
, dehiscent
by 1 or 2 apical pores
or by short longitudinal
slits (Astronia, Memecylon) ; connective
often variously appendaged. Pistil and style 1; stigma minute, capitate or truncate
. Ovary commonly inferior or semi-inferior, locules usually (3 or) 4 or 5(or 6) with numerous
anatropous ovules
, rarely 1-loculed and ovules ca.
9 (Memecylon) ; placentation axillary
, parietal
(Astronia and, outside China, Pternandra Jack
), or free
central (Memecylon) . Fruit a dry or fleshy
capsule or a berry, loculicidally dehiscent or indehiscent. Seeds (when 3-6-loculed) usually small, curved
through half a circle (cochleate) or wedge-shaped (cuneate), in Memecylon seeds large and ovoid
; endosperm absent.
Between 156 and 166 genera (150-160 in Melastomataceae sensu stricto
and six in Memecylaceae here considered part of Melastomataceae) and ca. 4500 species (ca. 4050 in Melastomataceae sensu stricto and 450 in Memecylaceae [Olisbeoideae if considered a subfamily
of Melastomataceae]) : primarily in tropical
and subtropical
regions; 21 genera (five endemic) and 114 species (72 endemic) in China.
Chinese genera of economic value include Osbeckia (medicine) and Melastoma (wild fruit and ornamental
flowers) .[1]
Habitat
Ecology: A shrub found in humid coastal forest to low Andean forest (0–1,500 m ).[2]
Taxonomy
- Domain:
Eukaryota
(
)
- Whittaker & Margulis,1978
- eukaryotes
- Kingdom:
Plantae
()
- Haeckel, 1866
- Plants
- Subkingdom:
Viridaeplantae
()
- Cavalier-Smith, 1981
- Phylum:
Tracheophyta
()
- Sinnott, 1935 Ex Cavalier-Smith, 1998
- Vascular Plants
- Subphylum:
Euphyllophytina
()
- Infraphylum:
Radiatopses
()
- Kenrick & Crane, 1997
- Class:
Magnoliopsida
()
- Brongniart, 1843
- Dicotyledons
- Subclass:
Rosidae
()
- Takhtajan, 1967
- Superorder:
Myrtanae
()
- Takhtajan, 1967
- Order:
Myrtales
()
- Reichenbach, 1828
- Suborder:
Lythrineae
()
- Family:
Melastomataceae
()
- A.l. De Jussieu, 1789, Nom. Cons.
- Melastome Family
- Genus:
Ossaea
()
- Specific epithet:
palenquensis
- Wurd.
- Botanical name: - Ossaea palenquensis Wurdack
- Specific epithet:
palenquensis
- Wurd.
- Genus:
Ossaea
(
- Family:
Melastomataceae
(
- Suborder:
Lythrineae
(
- Order:
Myrtales
(
- Superorder:
Myrtanae
(
- Subclass:
Rosidae
(
- Class:
Magnoliopsida
(
- Infraphylum:
Radiatopses
(
- Subphylum:
Euphyllophytina
(
- Phylum:
Tracheophyta
(
- Subkingdom:
Viridaeplantae
(
- Kingdom:
Plantae
(
Similar Species
Members of the genus Ossaea
ZipcodeZoo has pages for 135 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and cultivars in this genus. Here are just 100 of them:
O. abbottii · O. acuminata · O. alloeotricha · O. amygdaloides · O. amygdaloides var. ambigua · O. angustifolia · O. anomala · O. araneifera · O. asperifolia · O. asplundii · O. bahiensis · O. baracoensis var. ovalifolia · O. boekei · O. boliviensis · O. brachystachya · O. brachystemon · O. bracteata · O. brenesii · O. buchtieni · O. bullifera · O. cabraliensis · O. capillaris · O. capitata · O. caudata · O. ciliata · O. cinerea · O. coarctiflora · O. cogniauxii · O. confertiflora · O. congestiflora · O. coriacea · O. costata · O. cubana · O. cucullata · O. cuneata · O. curvipila · O. cuspidata · O. disparilis · O. diversifolia · O. domingensis · O. duckeana · O. echinata · O. eggersiana · O. ekmanii · O. ellipsoidea · O. elliptica · O. euphorbioides · O. fascicularis · O. filisepala · O. flaccida · O. fragilis · O. furfuracea · O. glomerata · O. gracilis · O. grandifolia · O. granulata · O. grisebachii · O. heteronervis · O. heterotricha · O. hirsuta · O. hirtella · O. hotteana · O. humilis · O. hypoglauca · O. incerta · O. instolonea · O. integrifolia · O. interior · O. involucrata · O. kleinii · O. lanata · O. lanceifolia · O. lanceolata · O. lateriflora · O. laxivenula · O. leucandra · O. lima · O. limnoides · O. limoides · O. lomensis · O. macrandra · O. macrophylla · O. marginata · O. mavacana · O. micarensis · O. micrantha · O. microphylla · O. moaensis · O. muricata · O. navasensis · O. neurotricha · O. nipensis · O. ottoschmidtii · O. ovatifolia · O. palenquensis · O. parvifolia · O. pauciflora · O. petiolaris · O. pilifera · O. pinetorum
More Info
- Search for Pictures: images.google.com
- Search for Scholarly Articles: Google Scholar
- Search using Scientific Name and Vernacular Names: All the Web | AltaVista Canada | AltaVista | Excite | Google | HotBot | Lycos
- Search using Specialized Databases: GenBank | Medline | Scirus | CISTI/CAL | Agricola Periodicals | Agricola Books
Further Reading
- Chen Cheih. 1984. Melastomataceae. In: Chen Cheih, ed., Fl. Reipubl. Popularis Sin. 53(1): 135-293.
Notes
Contributors
- Cotton, E. & Pitman, N. 2004. In IUCN 2008. 2008 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCNRedList.org. Downloaded July 19, 2008.
- Cotton, E. & Pitman, N. 2004. Ossaea palenquensis. In: IUCN 2006. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 21 October 2006.
- Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Accessed March 15, 2008. http://www.gbif.org Mediated distribution data from 2 providers.
Data Sources
Accessed through GBIF Data Portal March 15, 2008:
- Missouri Botanical Garden
Identifiers
- Biodiversity Heritage Library NamebankID: 5988541
- Global Biodiversity Information Facility Taxonkey: 15618375
- Globally Unique Identifier: urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:574345-1
- IUCN ID: 45470
- Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 1028453
Footnotes
- Jie Chen & Susanne S. Renner "Melastomataceae". in Flora of China Vol. 13 Page 360. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
- Cotton, E. & Pitman, N. 2004. In IUCN 2008. 2008 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCNRedList.org. Downloaded July 19, 2008. [back]
