Hamelia

• Authority

  Elias, Thomas S. 1976. A monograph of the genus Hamelia (Rubiaceae). Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 26: 81-144.

• Family

  Rubiaceae

• Scientific Name

  Hamelia

• Description

  Genus Description - Shrubs or small trees; branches and branchlets terete to angulate, glabrous to densely pubescent. Leaves simple, entire, opposite or in whorls of 3 to 5; petioles present, inconspicuously winged adaxially; lamina narrowly obovate to very broadly ovate to subrotund, obtuse to apiculate at apex, rounded to long attenuate at base, glabrous to densely pubescent, often with conspicuous raphides, membranous to subcoriaceous, the lateral veins 3 to 16 pairs, weakly to strongly arcuate; stipules entire or variously trilobate, linear to ovate, usually small, inconspicuous, caducous to persistent. Inflorescences compound to reduced thyrses, dichasia, or cymes, often variously modified and appearing helicoid, terminal, 3- to many-flowered, pedunculate; floral axes spreading to strongly ascending; bracts early caducous. Flowers usually secund, sessile to long-pedicellate, glabrous to densely pubescent; floral tube with 5 conspicuous to inconspicuous, transversely ovate to oblong, usually persistent calyx lobes; corolla tubular or variously inflated toward the apex, orangered to deep red or bright yellow, with 5 erect to strongly flaring lobes, infrequently constricted at base; stamens included or equalling or exceeding the corolla; filaments flattened, inserted at base of corolla; anthers flattened, introrse, sagittate at base, the basal lobes to 1 mm long, membranous, with a connective extending slightly apically; pollen medium-sized, subspheroidal, 3-colpate, sexine ca. 2 µ wide, reticulation fine granular; gynoecium shorter than to equalling the corolla; stigmas 1 or 5, oblong or when 1 occasionally indistinguishable from the style; style cylindrical; ovary (4-)5-locular, placentation axile, ovules many, anatropous, embedded in the protruding placenta. Fruit a fleshy berry with numerous, piano-compressed, foveolate seeds.

• Discussion

  Hamelia Jacquin, Enum. Syst. PI. Carib. 2, 16. 1760; Select. Stirp. Am. Hist. 72. 1763. Hamellia L., Sp. PI. ed. 2. 246. 1762, orth. mut. Lonicera sensu Burmann in Plumier, PI. Americanarum 211, 212, pi 218. 1759, non Lonicera L., Gen. PI. ed. 5. 80. 1754. Campanula sensu P. Browne, Civil Nat. Hist. Jamaica 166. tab. 14, figure 1. 1756, non Campanula L., Gen. PI. ed. 5. 77. 1754. Tangaraca Adanson, Fam. PI. 2: 147. 1763, nom. superfl. Duhamelia Pers., Synop. PI. 1: 203. 1805, nom. superfl. Tepesia Gaertn., Fruct. Sem. PI. 3: 72, t. 192. 180 Lectotype species. Hamelia erecta Jacquin = H patens Jacq.; see Britton & Millspaugh, the Bahama Flora, 411. 1920. (Named in honor of the botanist Henri Louis DuHamel de Monceau, 1700-1782.)