| Home | > | List of families | > | Melastomataceae | > | Dissotis | > | romiana |
| Synonyms: | |
| Common names: | |
| Frequency: | |
| Status: | Native |
| Description: |
A shrub or small tree up to c. 3 m. high. Young branches striate, scabrous with minute brownish echinulate scales, the oldest greyish, glabrescent. Leaves opposite, petiolate; lamina up to 18 x 6 cm., ovate-lanceolate to ovate, very attenuate and acute at the apex, round or subcordate at the base, crenulate at the margin, somewhat discolorous, light or dark green and with short slightly raised white lines ending in a minute pectinate bristle on the upper face, pale- or yellowish-green and with pectinate or flabellate bristles beneath, longitudinally 5–7-nerved, the longitudinal nerves impressed above, very prominent (especially the midrib) and densely scaly (scales minutely echinulate-setulose) beneath, the transverse nerves and the reticulation inconspicuous above, slightly visible beneath; petiole up to 4–5 cm. long, rough-scaly. Flowers 5-merous, in panicles up to 20 x 12 cm., terminal, pyramidal, somewhat lax; pedicels 1·2 mm. long in flower. Bracts 12–17 x 8–9 mm., ovate to oblong-ovate, acuminate, purplish, shortly setose, caducous. Receptacle 10–12 x 5 mm., cylindric, densely scaly, the scales very minute, appressed, echinulate. Sepals 9–10 mm. long and c. 3 mm. wide at base, lanceolate, attenuate, acute, pink or purple, scaly like the receptacle, caducous; intersepalar segments linear, dilated at the apex into a stellate-setose disk, caducous. Petals c. 2 cm. long, purple. Longer stamens: anthers 11–14 mm. long; pedoconnective c. 22 mm. long with the bifid appendage c. 1 mm. long. Shorter stamens: anthers 10–12 mm. long; pedoconnective c. 2·5 mm. long with the appendage less than 1 mm. long. Fructiferous receptacle 12–13 x 8 mm., urceolate, somewhat contracted above the capsule. Capsule c. 6 mm. in diameter, sub-spherical, appressed-setose, the bristles short, simple. Seeds c. 0·5 mm. long, papillose. From FZ, Vol 4, Part 0, page 220, (1978) Author: R. and A. Fernandes |
| Type location: |
DRC |
| Notes: | |
| Derivation of specific name: | |
| Habitat: | In swampy forests along rivers. |
| Altitude range: | |
| Flowering time: | |
| Worldwide distribution: | |
| Zambian distribution (Flora Zambesiaca): | N,W |
| Zambian distribution (Provinces): | Nw,N |
| Growth form(s): | |
| Endemic status: | Near Endemic? |
| Red data list status: | |
| Insects associated with this species: | |
| Spot characters: | Display spot characters for this species |
| Content last updated: | Tuesday 22 August 2017 |
| Literature: |
Fernandes, R. & A. (1961). Contribution to the knowledge of the MELASTOMATOIDEAE of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland Kirkia 1 Page 75. Fernandes, R. & A. (1978). Melastomataceae Flora Zambesiaca 4 Page 261. |
| Home | > | List of families | > | Melastomataceae | > | Dissotis | > | romiana |