Melastoma malabathricum

The taxonomy of the genus Melastoma requires a complete revision.{{Cite book | last1= Whiffin | first1= Trevor | year=1990 |contribution=Melastoma| url=http://www.anbg.gov.au/abrs/online-resources/flora/stddisplay.xsql?pnid=47144 | title= Flora of Australia: Volume 18: Podostemaceae to Combretaceae | series= Flora of Australia series | pages= 247–248 | publisher= CSIRO Publishing / Australian Biological Resources Study | isbn= 978-0-644-10472-2 | access-date= 18 June 2013 }} Early genetics studies were published from 2001,{{Cite journal | last1= Clausing | first1= G. | last2= Renner | first2= Susanne S. | year= 2001 | title= Molecular phylogenetics of Melastomataceae and Memecylaceae: implications for character evolution | journal= American Journal of Botany | volume= 88 | issue= 3 | pages= 486–498 | doi=10.2307/2657114| jstor= 2657114 | pmid= 11250827 | doi-access= }} – see also the erratum. through 2013,{{Cite journal

| last1= Michelangeli | first1= Fabián A.

| last2= Guimaraes | first2= Paulo J. F.

| last3= Penneys | first3= Darin S. | display-authors= 3

| last4= Almeda | first4= Frank | last5= Kriebel | first5= Ricardo

| date= 2013

| title= Phylogenetic relationships and distribution of New World Melastomeae (Melastomataceae)

| journal= Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society | volume= 171 | issue= 1 | pages= 38–60

| doi= 10.1111/j.1095-8339.2012.01295.x

| issn= 1095-8339

| doi-access= free }} but a revision based on them has yet to be. In 2001 Karsten Meyer proposed a revision in which the species Melastoma affine and other species were subsumed within this species M. malabathricum.{{Cite journal | last1= Meyer | first1= Karsten | year= 2001 | title= Revision of the Southeast Asian genus Melastoma (Melastomataceae) | journal= Blumea | volume= 46 | issue= 2 | pages= 351–398 }}

In Australia, currently most authorities do not accept this; instead the naturally occurring populations in Western Australia, Northern Territory, Queensland and north eastern New South Wales remain recognised as M. affine,

{{Cite web

| url= https://biodiversity.org.au/nsl/services/rest/name/apni/113262/api/apni-format

| type= listing by % wildcard matching of all taxa relevant to Australia

| work = Australian Plant Name Index (APNI), Integrated Botanical Information System (IBIS) database

| publisher= Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research, Australian Government

| access-date= 18 June 2013

|title = Vascular Plants}}

{{Cite web |url=http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Melastoma~affine |last1=Wilson |first1 = Peter G. |date=July 2001 |title= Melastoma affine D.Don – New South Wales Flora Online |work=PlantNET - The Plant Information Network System |location=Sydney, Australia |publisher=The Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust |version=2.0 |access-date= 18 June 2013}} except by authorities in Queensland.{{cite web |author=F.A.Zich |author2=B.Hyland |author3=T.Whiffen |author4=R.A.Kerrigan |access-date=27 May 2021 |url=https://apps.lucidcentral.org/rainforest/text/entities/Melastoma_malabathricum_subsp._malabathricum.htm |title=Melastoma malabathricum_subsp. malabathricum |website=Australian Tropical Rainforest Plants (RFK8) |publisher=Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research, Australian Government}}{{Cite book | editor1-last= Bostock | editor1-first= P.D. | editor2-last= Holland | editor2-first= A.E. | year= 2010 | url= http://www.ehp.qld.gov.au/plants/census_qld_flora.html | title= Census of the Queensland Flora 2010 | location= Brisbane | publisher= Queensland Herbarium, Department of Environment and Resource Management | page= 101 | access-date= 18 June 2013 }} Australian populations which occur as weeds, having different flowers, for example in Warraroon Reserve, Lane Cove, Sydney, further south than the natural distribution of M. affine, are introduced plants of this M. malabathricum {{Au|L.}} species.{{Cite journal | last1= Hosking | first1= J. R. | last2= Conn | first2= B. J. | last3= Lepschi | first3= B. J. | last4= Barker | first4= C. H. | year= 2011 | title= Plant species first recognised as naturalised or naturalising for New South Wales in 2004 and 2005 | journal= Cunninghamia | volume= 12 | issue= 1 | pages= 85–114 | url= http://www.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0020/116372/cun121hos085.pdf | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140426202223/http://www.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0020/116372/cun121hos085.pdf | url-status= dead | archive-date= 26 April 2014 | access-date= 18 June 2013 }}

M. malabathricum grows wild on a wide range of soils, from sea-level up to an altitude of 3000 meters. It is an erect, free-flowering shrub that grows to a height of about 3 meters. The plant is branched, and has reddish stems that are covered with bristly scales and minute hairs. Its leaves are simple, elliptic lanceolate with a rounded base, are up to 7 cm long, and have three distinct main veins running from base to apex. Its flowers are borne on short terminal cymes 2 to 8 cm across. The flowers are pink, violet or mauve.{{Cite web|title=Melastoma malabathricum (Banks melastoma)|url=https://www.cabi.org/isc/datasheet/33489|access-date=2021-11-01|website=www.cabi.org|language=en}} Its fruit is a berry, which when ripe breaks irregularly to expose its soft, dark blue pulp and orange seeds.{{ cite book | title=Herbs of Malaysia: An Introduction to the Medicinal, Culinary, Aromatic and Cosmetic Use of Herbs | first=Joseph | last=Samy | date=2005 | publisher=Times Editions | isbn=978-9833001798 | pages=144–145 }}

List of endemic plants in the Mariana Islands

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• [https://web.archive.org/web/20121218180315/http://www.sandakanrfp.sabah.gov.my/medicinal%20plants.htm Sandakan Rainforest Park - Medicinal Plants]

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malabathricum

Category:Medicinal plants

Category:Flora of tropical Asia

Category:Plants described in 1753

Category:Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus