Melastoma polyanthum Blume

MELASTOMATACEAE
MELASTOMA Linnaeus
Melastoma asperum Blanco FI. Filip. (1837) 368, non Linn. = Melastoma
obvolutum Blanco op. cit. ed. 2 (1845) 259; ed. 3, 2 (1878) 117, non
Jack= MELASTOMA POLYANTHUM Blume.
Melastoma malabathricum Blanco FI. Filip. (1837) 367 (malabatrica) ; ed.
2 (1845) 258; ed. 3, 2 (1878) 115* non Linn.= MELASTOMA POLY-
ANTHUM Blume.
This species is common and widely distributed in the Philip-
pines arid*t>rèstents>.considerable variation; as a result several
of the forms have been déscribéd ^under^other specific names,
Blanco’s Melastoma asperum—M. obvolutùm Blanco, non Jack,
represents what I take to be fairly typical Melastoma polyan-
ihum Blume, as I understand Blume’s species. It is hardly
Melastoma malabathricum Linn, to which Fernandez-Villar
reduced it. Blanco’s material was from Angât, but his descrip-
tion, as to ' the size of the le|ves, applies, in our material, only
to the smaller leaves, Fernandez^Villar reduced Melastoma
malabathricum Blanco to M. sanguineum Sims. I can now see
no reason for considering it other than M. polyanthum Blume.
Illustrative specimen from Angat, Bulacan Province, Luzon,
September, 1914 {Merrill: Species Blancoanae No. 567),
MJETHÄ ILL'. I
1 rs 1LLJLÉCÆAMAÆ KT). OGtf
NEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDEN
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¿67* Melastoma polyanthum Blume
Melastoma asperum Blanco» non
It lam*
Melastoma obrolutum Blanco, non
Jack.
Melastoma malabathrioum Blanoc,
non linn*
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