Dissotis rotundifolia

Family

Melastomataceae

Botanical Name

Dissotis rotundifolia (Sm.) Triana

Triana, J.J. (1872) Transactions of the Linnean Society of London 28(1): 58. Type: ?.

Synonyms

Osbeckia rotundifolia Sm., Cyclopaedia 25: 204(1813), Type: Afzelius s.n.; ; Sierra Leone (BM).

Common name

Spanish Shawl; Trailing Tibouchina; Pink Lady

Weed

*

Stem

Decumbent herb rooting at the nodes with the erect branches up to 16 cm tall; stems 4-angled, sparsely hairy; internodes 50-55 mm long.

Leaves

Leaves ovate to ovate-lanceolate, 15-31 x 8-20 mm, margin slightly crenulate-ciliate, surfaces lightly to densely piloses. Petioles 5-12 mm long, upper surface flat, clothed in long simple reddish hairs.

Flowers

Inflorescence a solitary flower or rarely 2-4 -flowered cymes. pedicels 2-5 mm long. Calyx-tube cylindric-campanulate, 5-7 x 3-4 mm, sparsely to densely pilose, the hairs intermixed with linear-subulate caducous appendages 1-2 mm long and setose at the apex; lobes subulate-lanceolate, 5-6 x 1.5 mm, margin ciliate, setose at the apex; intersepalar appendages ligulate, 2-2.5 mm long, setose at the apex. Petals pink to purplish, obovate, 20-28 x 15-20 mm. Stamens 10, unequal; 5 articulated and purple, and 5 yellow. Ovary 8-9 x 8 mm, clothed in stalked (2-2.5 mm long) stellate hairs.

Fruit

Fructiferous receptacle 6-11 x 6-7·5 mm., ovoid to ovoid-ellipsoid. Capsule subequalling the receptacle, setose on the upper part. Seeds cochleate, ridged along the back and with a fringe of long papillae around the hilum.

Seedlings

Features not available.

Distribution and Ecology

Also from New Guinea and Papua.

Natural History

Grown as an ornamental but has become naturalized in the NT, CYP and NEQ.

NT

X

CYP

X

NEQ

X

Herb (herbaceous or woody, under 1 m tall)

X

RFK Code

4164