Creochiton (Veldkamp, 1978)

Kartonegoro, A. & Veldkamp, J. F., 2013, Revision of Creochiton (Melastomataceae), Blumea 58 (3), pp. 217-227 : 219

Creochiton

Creochiton Blume (1831a) 506; Naudin (1852) 153; Miq. (1855) 559; Triana (1871) 85; Cogn. (1891) 604; Krasser (1893) 179; Merr. (1905) 32; (1923) 191; Koord. (1912) 693; (1923) 212; Bakh.f. (1943) 307; (1963) 362. ― Dissochaeta Blume sect. Creochiton (Blume) Baill. (1880) 15, 51. ― Lectotype (designated here): Creochiton pudibundus (Blume) Blume.

Enchosanthera Guillaumin (1913) 341. ― Anplectrella Furtado (1963) 106, nom. superfl. ― Type: Enchosanthera anomala (King & Stapf ex King) Guillaumin [≡ Anplectrella anomala (King & Stapf ex King) Furtado ≡ Creochiton anomalus (King & Stapf ex King) Veldk. ].

Eisocreochiton Quisumb.& Merr. (1928) 177;M.P. Nayar (1970) 87. ― Type: Eisocreochiton bracteatus Quisumb. & Merr. [≡ Creochiton bracteatus (Quisumb. & Merr.) Veldk. ].

Dissochaeta Blume fide Kadereit (2006) 3 (p.p.).

Diplectria auct. non (Blume) Rchb.: Kuntze (1891) 246 (p.p.).

Melastoma auct.non Burm.ex L.: Blume (1823) 71; (1826) 1071;DC.(1828) 148.

Woody creepers, climbers, scrambling or epiphytic shrubs; branchlets commonly terete or sometimes obscurely triangular, glabrous to densely covered with brown furfuraceous or floccose hairs, sometimes with adventitious roots; nodes thickened or rarely flattened, with or without an interpetiolary ridge. Leaves with acrodromal venation, thin, subcoriaceous or coriaceous, ovate to oblong rarely suborbicular, apex acute or rounded to retuse, base cuneate to subcordate, margin entire; leaves glabrous above, midrib immersed, glabrous to densely furfuraceous, glabrous to densely tomentose below; nervation plinerved with one or two main lateral nerves arising at or above the base, midrib raised below; secondary nervation pinnate, commonly reticulate; petiole terete, dorsally grooved, glabrous to densely furfuraceous. Inflorescences commonly axillary, either umbellate, 3 –5-flowered or paniculate with up to 35 flowers, rarely terminal ( C. anomalus ); main axis terete, sparsely to densely furfuraceous; bracts minute to conspicu- ous, thin or coriaceous; bracteoles distinct, paired, commonly coriaceous, concave, obovate or orbicular, caducous, glabrous or densely furfuraceous, enclosing the flower bud, rarely thin or minute; pedicel terete, glabrous to densely furfuraceous; flower tetramerous; hypanthium campanulate or nearly urceolate, glabrous to densely furfuraceous, hairs simple or stellate; calyx rim truncate or wavy with 4 short lobes; petals ovate or elliptic, glabrous, acute tip, white, pink to purplish. Stamens 4 or 8, equal or unequal, if 8, 4 alternipetalous larger, 4 oppositipetalous smaller; filaments flat, straight; anthers basifix, cylin- dric, elongate, straight or slightly curved at anthesis, opening with a single terminal pore; connective with a triangular, hastate or sagittate crest in alternipetalous ones, triangular, spur-like or ligular in oppositipetalous ones, lateral appendages commonly absent, rarely paired; ovary globose, 0.5–0.75 times as long as the hypanthium, glabrous, 4-locular, placentation axillary or basal; stigma capitate; style straight or curved, glabrous, slender; extra-ovarial chambers rarely developed or narrowed at the top of the ovary, or extending to about half the length of the ovary. Fruits berry-like, globose to subglobose, green or purplish when mature, glabrous; stalk glabrous or sparsely furfuraceous, seeds numerous, cuneate, curved, flat-topped.

Distribution ― The genus with twelve species is endemic to the Malesian region (Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Borneo, Java, Celebes, Moluccas, Philippines and New Guinea), but is not yet found in the Lesser Sunda Islands.