Common name
English: Malabar Melastome, Straits Rhododendron
Mandarin: 野牡丹 (ye mu dan)
Classification
Kingdom: Plantae (2713)
Phylum: Tracheophyta (2628)
Class: Magnoliopsida (2216)
Order: Myrtales (80)
Family: Melastomataceae (17)(family description)
Genus: Melastoma (1)
Epithet: malabathricum L. (1)
Synonyms: Melastoma affine D. Don, Melastoma candidum D. Don, Melastoma cavaleriei H. Lév. & Vaniot, Melastoma esquirolii H. Lév., Melastoma normale D. Don, Melastoma polyanthum Blume
affine => similar, related, of near alliance
candidum => pure white
esquirolii => in honor of Joseph Henri Esquirol (1870-1934), French missionary, linguist and plant collector in Yunnan, P.R. China
malabathricum => of or from the Malabar Coast, southern India
normale => normal, usual, representative of the genus
polyanthum => many flowered
Characteristics
Climate: tropical
Habitat: mesophytic
Habit: shrub
Flower colour: violet, pink
External links
Check for Melastoma malabathricum at
World Flora Online, GBIF or IPNI- [1554] Melastoma malabathricum - Flora of China @ efloras.org