Gravesia
(named in honour of C. L. Graves, a writer on the plants of Northern France; he also collected in Madagascar). ORD. Melastomaceae. A genus containing a couple of species of dwarf stove herbs, natives of Madagascar. Flowers disposed in few-flowered umbellate cymes; scape solitary, erect. Leaves petiolate, subradical, ovate-oblong, membranaceous, sub-serrate, five-nerved. For culture, see Bertolonia.
G. guttata (spotted).* l. ovate, 3in. to 6in. long, 2in. to 3in. wide; ground colour rich dark green, profusely dotted with rose-coloured spots arranged in lines. 1864. (B. M. 5524, under name of Bertolonia guttata.) The best varieties are:
G. g. margaritacea (pearly).* l. ovate-acuminate; upper surface dark olive-green, faintly shaded with purple, with pearly-white spots in regular lines; under side bright pink. 1862. SYN. Bertolonia margaritacea. G. g. superba (superb).* l. cordate-ovate, acute, greenish-olive, thickly spotted with rather large circular spots, interspersed among which are very minute dots of the same colour. SYN. Bertolonia superbissima. Other varieties are: albo-punctata (white-dotted) and roseopunctillata (rosy-dotted).