kibessia

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. A genus of polypetalous plants belonging to the natural order Lythrarieæ, or, according to some authors, to the Melastomaceæ, tribe Astronieæ, type of old suborder Kibessieæ, characterized by having the irregular somewhat 4-lobed limb of the hood-shaped calyx warty and spinous (the spines sometimes barbed at the tip), 8 stamens, and a 4-celled ovary. They are smooth shrubs with angled or winged branches, coriaceous, oblong-ovate, 3-nerved leaves, obtuse at the attenuate apex, and large blue flowers on axillary, 1- to 3-flowered peduncles. Thirteen species have been described, inhabiting the Malay archipelago and Philippine Islands.