MELASTOMATACEAE

Melastoma malabathricum

Memecylon umbellatum

Memecylon umbellatum buds


FAMILY OF THE WEEK : MELASTOMATACEAE

vegetative characters:

Herbs, shrubs or rarely trees. Leaves opposite, entirely of nearly so, often palmately 3-7 nerved; stipules none. Flowers regular, bisexual, in spikes, panicles or corymbs, rarely solitary or clustered. Calyx-tube adnate to the ovary and more or less prolonged beyond it; limb 4-5 lobed, lobes deciduous. Petals as many as the calyx-lobes, on the margin of the calyx-limb. Stamens as many or twice as many as the petals, inserted with them; filaments inflexed in the bud; connective generally prolonged and often much enlarged. Ovary 4-5 celled (in Memecylon 1-celled); ovules very many (except in Memecylon); seeds minute, very many (in Memecylon one only).

Leaves palmately 3-7 nerved. Stamens unequal, seeds many--MELASTOMA.

Leaves penninerved. Stamens equal, seed one--MEMECYLON.

Examples:
Melastoma malabathricum.

Memecylon umbellatum(Anjani)