Melastoma malabathricum

Linnaeus

Sp. Pl. 1: 390. 1753. (as malabathrica)

Common names: Malabar melastome straits or Singapore rhododendron sendudok
Synonyms: Melastoma affine D. Don M. candidum D. Don M. malabathricum subsp. normale (D. Don) Karst. Meyer
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 10.
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Shrubs or trees 0.5–2 (–3) m; branchlets with dense, short, appressed scales. Leaves per­sistent; petiole 0.5–1.9 cm; blade usually lanceolate to elliptic-lanceolate, rarely narrowly lanceolate to oblong, 4–15 cm × 20–50 mm, base rounded to subcordate, apex acuminate, surfaces densely strigose to strigose-sericeous. Inflorescences: (1 or) 2–7-flowered, compact or loose; bracts 2, leaflike from base. Pedicels 2–8 (–10) mm, strigose. Flowers: hypanthium 5–9 mm, densely appressed-scaly; calyx 5–13 mm; petals obovate, 25–35 (–40) mm; ovary ovoid. Fruits broadly urceolate, 5–12 mm, succulent, pinkish tan, densely appressed-scaly, rupturing irregularly transversely at maturity. Seeds 1 mm diam., densely punctate, imbedded in purplish red, sweet, astringent pulp.


Phenology: Flowering Feb–Apr.
Habitat: Wet flatwoods.
Elevation: 10 m.

Distribution

Introduced; Fla., Asia (Cambodia), Asia (India), Asia (Japan), Asia (Laos), Asia (Malaysia), Asia (Myanmar), Asia (Nepal), Asia (Sri Lanka), Asia (Thailand), Asia (Vietnam), Pacific Islands (Papua New Guinea), Pacific Islands (Philippines), Pacific Islands (Taiwan), Australia, also in Mexico, West Indies (Jamaica), Indian Ocean Islands (Mauritius), Pacific Islands (New Zealand)

Discussion

Melastoma malabathricum is known in the flora area from only a single report; a plant apparently naturalized in the middle of wet flatwoods in a park in Palm City (Martin County), collected in March 2000 (voucher USF). In a number of other states, it is explicitly regarded as a potential threat and listed as a noxious weed, even prohibited or quarantined in California, Massachusetts, Minnesota, and Oregon. All species of Melastoma are formally considered noxious in Hawaii. The seeds are bird-dispersed and M. malabathricum in southeast Asia sometimes forms dense thickets in forest plantations, orchards, pastures, rangelands, abandoned clearings, and disturbed sites.

Melastoma malabathricum was regarded by K. Meyer (2001) as the most widespread and morphologically variable species of the genus; he listed 65 synonyms for subsp. malabathricum. Meyer recognized only subsp. normale as distinct in its more densely pilose abaxial leaf surfaces and its pilose branches; intermediates occur and the geographic range of subsp. normale is com­pletely within that of subsp. malabathricum.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.
... more about "Melastoma malabathricum"
pedicellate +, subsessile +  and zygomorphic +
not versatile +  and basifixed +
downcurved +  and upcurved +
linear-oblong +
acuminate +
Guy L. Nesom +
Linnaeus +
rounded +  and subcordate +
indehiscent +  and dehiscent +
4 cm40 mm <br />0.04 m <br /> (15 cm150 mm <br />0.15 m <br />) +
usually lanceolate +  and elliptic-lanceolate rarely narrowly lanceolate +
2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br /> (5 cm50 mm <br />0.05 m <br />) +
persistent +  and deciduous +
conspicuous +
deciduous +
5-lobed +
0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br /> (1.3 cm13 mm <br />0.013 m <br />) +
indehiscent +  and dehiscent +
Malabar melastome +, straits or Singapore rhododendron +  and sendudok +
Fla. +, Asia (Cambodia) +, Asia (India) +, Asia (Japan) +, Asia (Laos) +, Asia (Malaysia) +, Asia (Myanmar) +, Asia (Nepal) +, Asia (Sri Lanka) +, Asia (Thailand) +, Asia (Vietnam) +, Pacific Islands (Papua New Guinea) +, Pacific Islands (Philippines) +, Pacific Islands (Taiwan) +, Australia +, also in Mexico +, West Indies (Jamaica) +, Indian Ocean Islands (Mauritius) +  and Pacific Islands (New Zealand) +
free +  and distinct +
geniculate +
pinkish tan +
urceolate +
0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br /> (1.2 cm12 mm <br />0.012 m <br />) +
succulent +
Wet flatwoods. +
perennial +
campanulate +  and globose-urceolate +
0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br /> (0.9 cm9 mm <br />0.009 m <br />) +
loose +, compact +  and 2-7-flowered +
axillary +  and terminal +
in distal foliar axils +  and terminal +
alternate +, verticillate +, decussate +  and opposite +
persistent +  and deciduous +
triangular +  and lanceolate or ovate +
crenulate +, serrulate +  and subentire +
Several (?) +  and No (?) +
semi-inferior +
crassinucellate +  and bitegmic +
orthotropous +  and anatropous +
smaller +
0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br /> (1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br />) +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br />) +
3.5 cm35 mm <br />0.035 m <br /> (4 cm40 mm <br />0.04 m <br />) +
light +  and dark-pink lavender or purple +
distinct +
obovate +
2.5 cm25 mm <br />0.025 m <br /> (3.5 cm35 mm <br />0.035 m <br />) +
0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br /> (1.9 cm19 mm <br />0.019 m <br />) +
Flowering Feb–Apr. +
5-carpellate +  and 4-carpellate +
purplish red +
tawny +  and purple or black +
20 +  and 100 +
cochleate +
200 cm2,000 mm <br />2 m <br /> (300 cm3,000 mm <br />3 m <br />) +
not laticiferous +
50 cm500 mm <br />0.5 m <br /> (200 cm2,000 mm <br />2 m <br />) +
unequal +
2 times number of petals +
squamose-strigose +
4-angled +
subsessile +, sessile +  and petiolate +
straight +
filiform +
densely strigose +  and strigose-sericeous +
Melastoma affine +, M. candidum +  and M. malabathricum subsp. normale +
Melastoma malabathricum +
Melastoma +
species +
200 cm2,000 mm <br />2 m <br /> (300 cm3,000 mm <br />3 m <br />) +
50 cm500 mm <br />0.5 m <br /> (200 cm2,000 mm <br />2 m <br />) +
cross-veined +