Melastoma septemnervium
| Melastoma septemnervium | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Myrtales |
| Family: | Melastomataceae |
| Genus: | Melastoma |
| Species: | M. septemnervium
|
| Binomial name | |
| Melastoma septemnervium | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Melastoma candidum D. Don | |
Melastoma septemnervium are erect shrubs or small slender trees with 5 petal, medium-sized, pink flowers that have made them attractive for cultivation. The leaves have the 5 distinctive longitudinal veins (nerves) typical of plants in the family Melastomataceae.
Description
[edit]Melastoma septemnervium are erect shrubs or small trees up to 5 m tall.[2] Leaves are elliptical with short stiff hairs or scales on the upper surface and finer dense hairs on the lower surface but with a mixture of scales on the nerves.
Distribution
[edit]Native to Vietnam, southern China, the Philippines, Taiwan, Ryukyu Islands, and southern Japan.[2] Cultivated and naturalized in Hawaii but also reported to be abundant and invasive on Kauai and Hawaii Island from sea level up to 900 m elevation.[2]
Melastoma septemnervium grows in light forests, clearings, and grass lands, or on rocky slopes, but prefers mesic to wet areas and bog margin habitats in Hawaii.[2][3]
Taxonomy
[edit]Hawaiian populations of M. septemnervium were historically assigned to Melastoma malabathricum non L. but later were identified as M. candidum D. Don by Wagner et al. 1999 due to a number of consistently different traits, including a higher chromosome number (2n = 56 versus Melastoma malabathricum 2n = 24).[2]
M. septemnervium was first described by Loureiro in 1790 (Flora Cochinchinensis 1: 273–274).[4] M. septemnervium is the accepted name by some sources with M. candidum as a junior synonym,[1] but both names are used widely.
References
[edit]- ^ a b ITIS - Integrated Taxonomic Information System Report Page Melastoma septemnervium Lour.
- ^ a b c d e Wagner, Warren L.; Herbst, Derral R.; Sohmer, S.H. (1999). Manual of the Flowering Plants of Hawai`i. Bernice P. Bishop Museum Special Publication. University of Hawaii Press. pp. 910–911. ISBN 0-8248-2166-1.
- ^ GISD - Global Invasive Species Database. Melastoma candidum
- ^ Tropicos - Missouri Botanical Garden. Name Search > *Melastoma septemnervium Lour.