taxonID	type	description	language	source
1A969E79CA6656B2AA5067617216F144.taxon	description	Figs 1, 2	en	Perera, Amila, Jayasinghe, Himesh, Gopallawa, Bhathiya, Madawala, Isuru, Gunatilleke, Nimal, Geekiyanage, Nalaka (2025): Reinstatement of Memecylon elegantulum (Melastomataceae) and recircumscription of Memecylon rostratum, two species endemic to Sri Lanka. PhytoKeys 259: 67-80, DOI: 10.3897/phytokeys.259.146534
1A969E79CA6656B2AA5067617216F144.taxon	description	Description. Memecylon elegantulum is distinguished from M. rostratum upto 2 m tall (vs treelet, to 7 m); having flush leaves deep purple-red to light pink (vs whitish green); branched, pedicellate inflorescence with 1 – 2 flowers (vs unbranched inflorescence with 6 – 9 capitate flowers); petals in bud conical with an apiculate tip (vs obtuse tip); anthers and anther connectives white (vs purplish-blue); straight anther connective without a gland (vs arched anther connective, with a prominent red gland); and fruit hanging, pale green in immature stage (vs erect, white). Shrubs or treelets up to 2 m height; outer bark shallowly and longitudinally striate; young branchlets obscurely quadrangular, becoming terete with age; flush leaves deep purple-red to light pink; internode distance 18 – 25 mm. Leaves green above, much paler below, lustrous on both sides in live state, greenish-brown in dried state; petiole 1 – 2 mm long; lamina subcoriaceous, broadly to (rarely) narrowly elliptic, 40 – 65 × 15 – 20 mm, caudate to acuminate, obtuse at apex, narrowly obtuse to cuneate at base, margins slightly revolute toward base, slightly thickened; midrib slightly grooved adaxially, obscurely raised abaxially; lateral veins 7 – 9 pairs, with a few intermediaries, straight throughout, unicolorous in live state, venation visible on both sides in dried state; intramarginal vein 0.3 – 1 mm from the margin. Inflorescence 1 (– 2) per node, axillary on lower leaf nodes or rarely below the existing leaf nodes; main axis of the peduncle 2.5 – 3.5 mm long, filamentous, quadrangular, pale yellowish green, topped by (1 –) 2 capitate secondary axils, surrounded by minute bracts at the joint; secondary axils 2 – 3 mm long, filamentous, cylindrical, pale greenish white, topped by 2, minute, whitish bracts, holding a single flower. Flowers pedicel 4.5 – 5 mm long, white; hypantho-calyx broadly pyriform to infundibuliform, 1.7 – 1.9 mm long, 2.3 – 2.5 mm wide, outside smooth, white, sometimes with a bluish tinge at apex; calyx lobes 4, minute, obtuse to acute at apex; epigynous chamber smooth, without any furrows; exposed petals conical with a pointed apex in bud, white at anthesis, reflexed, 2.4 – 2.6 mm long, 1.8 – 2.1 mm wide; filaments 3.4 – 3.7 mm long, white; anther connective straight, 2.2 – 2.7 mm long, 0.6 – 0.7 mm wide, white; without a gland; anthers white; style 5.9 – 6.1 mm, white. Fruits 1 – 2 per inflorescence with an elongate, hanging pedicel up to 7 – 8 mm; subglobose, 9.5 – 11 × 7.5 – 9 mm diameter, topped by a persistent calycinal crown; surface smooth, yellowish green during immature stage, purplish blue at partial maturity, then turning blackish purple at maturity; cotyledons wrinkled.	en	Perera, Amila, Jayasinghe, Himesh, Gopallawa, Bhathiya, Madawala, Isuru, Gunatilleke, Nimal, Geekiyanage, Nalaka (2025): Reinstatement of Memecylon elegantulum (Melastomataceae) and recircumscription of Memecylon rostratum, two species endemic to Sri Lanka. PhytoKeys 259: 67-80, DOI: 10.3897/phytokeys.259.146534
1A969E79CA6656B2AA5067617216F144.taxon	distribution	Distribution and habitat. Lowland rainforests of Sri Lanka, northwards to Sinharaja Forest in the elevation range 250 – 800 m (Fig. 3). It usually occurs at the lower level of the rainforest understorey, on ridges and as well as in valleys.	en	Perera, Amila, Jayasinghe, Himesh, Gopallawa, Bhathiya, Madawala, Isuru, Gunatilleke, Nimal, Geekiyanage, Nalaka (2025): Reinstatement of Memecylon elegantulum (Melastomataceae) and recircumscription of Memecylon rostratum, two species endemic to Sri Lanka. PhytoKeys 259: 67-80, DOI: 10.3897/phytokeys.259.146534
2E61B1634AB75C81BE3579E96AE2A22C.taxon	description	Figs 4, 5	en	Perera, Amila, Jayasinghe, Himesh, Gopallawa, Bhathiya, Madawala, Isuru, Gunatilleke, Nimal, Geekiyanage, Nalaka (2025): Reinstatement of Memecylon elegantulum (Melastomataceae) and recircumscription of Memecylon rostratum, two species endemic to Sri Lanka. PhytoKeys 259: 67-80, DOI: 10.3897/phytokeys.259.146534
2E61B1634AB75C81BE3579E96AE2A22C.taxon	materials_examined	Type. • Sri Lanka n. l., n. d., n. coll., C. P. 1560 (lectotype: the largest branch with flowers [second from the left] of PDA [PDA 00002923!], designated here)	en	Perera, Amila, Jayasinghe, Himesh, Gopallawa, Bhathiya, Madawala, Isuru, Gunatilleke, Nimal, Geekiyanage, Nalaka (2025): Reinstatement of Memecylon elegantulum (Melastomataceae) and recircumscription of Memecylon rostratum, two species endemic to Sri Lanka. PhytoKeys 259: 67-80, DOI: 10.3897/phytokeys.259.146534
2E61B1634AB75C81BE3579E96AE2A22C.taxon	description	Description. A small tree, to 8 m tall; outer bark smooth, not longitudinally striate, yellowish brown; young branchlets terete; flush leaves pale yellowish green, sometimes with a red tinge; internode distance 15 – 30 mm. Leaves green above, paler below, lustrous on both sides in live state, brown on upper side and yellow-brown on underside in dried state; petiole 2 – 5 mm long; lamina subcoriaceous, elliptic to ovate 40 – 70 × 25 – 38 mm, caudate to acuminate, obtuse to rounded at extreme apex, broadly to narrowly cuneate at base, margins flat, rarely slightly revolute towards base; midrib adaxially slightly grooved, abaxially obscurely raised; lateral veins 7 – 9 pairs, invisible in live state, hardly visible abaxially in dried state; intramarginal vein 0.3 – 0.5 mm from the margin. Inflorescence 1 (– 2) per node, axillary, mainly on nodes below the existing leaves and extending in to the lower leaf nodes; peduncle often unbranched, (0 –) 2.5 – 5 mm long, thick, obscurely quadrangular to terete, green; secondary axils almost sessile when the peduncle is branched; flowers umbellate, 3 – 14 flowers per inflorescence; minute bracts at the base of the petiole early caducous, brown. Flowers pedicel 0.4 – 1 cm long, white; hypantho-calyx broadly infundibuliform to pyriform with an abrupt medial inflation, 1.3 – 1.5 mm long, 1.8 – 2.3 mm wide, outside smooth, white; calyx lobes 4, 0.4 – 0.5 mm long, 1.2 – 1.4 mm wide, obtuse to acute at apex; epigynous chamber smooth, without any furrows; exposed petals dome-shaped with an apiculate apex and 4 grooves radiating from the centre of each calyx lobe, white at anthesis, reflexed, 1.5 – 2 mm long, 1.2 – 1.6 mm wide; filaments 2.6 – 3.0 mm long, purple-blue; anther connective, curved, 1.2 – 1.3 mm long, 0.4 – 0.6 mm wide, purple-blue; with a prominent red gland; anthers pale brownish yellow; style 3.5 – 3.8 mm, grey. Fruits 1 – 5 (– 7) per inflorescence, reducing in number at maturity, on stiff pedicels up to 1 – 4 mm; depressed globose to oblate, 6 – 8 × 3 – 6 mm diameter, topped by a persistent calycinal crown; surface smooth, white at immature stage, indigo-blue at partial maturity, then turning to blackish purple at maturity; cotyledons hardly wrinkled.	en	Perera, Amila, Jayasinghe, Himesh, Gopallawa, Bhathiya, Madawala, Isuru, Gunatilleke, Nimal, Geekiyanage, Nalaka (2025): Reinstatement of Memecylon elegantulum (Melastomataceae) and recircumscription of Memecylon rostratum, two species endemic to Sri Lanka. PhytoKeys 259: 67-80, DOI: 10.3897/phytokeys.259.146534
2E61B1634AB75C81BE3579E96AE2A22C.taxon	distribution	Distribution and habitat. Southwestern lowland rainforests of Sri Lanka except the coastal zone, in the elevation range 200 - – 500 m (Fig. 3). PDA 00002921! sheet contains information on three localities in Kandy District (the specimens were mounted by Thwaites in the 1800 s). No further collections have been reported from natural habitats in the surroundings other than from the trees planted at the Royal Botanical Gardens, Peradeniya. It is thus possible that this historical gathering information may not relate to this species. Memecylon rostratum is usually confined to the upper level of the rainforest understorey, often on ridges within a given topography.	en	Perera, Amila, Jayasinghe, Himesh, Gopallawa, Bhathiya, Madawala, Isuru, Gunatilleke, Nimal, Geekiyanage, Nalaka (2025): Reinstatement of Memecylon elegantulum (Melastomataceae) and recircumscription of Memecylon rostratum, two species endemic to Sri Lanka. PhytoKeys 259: 67-80, DOI: 10.3897/phytokeys.259.146534
