Melastoma malabathricum

Melastoma malabathricum
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Myrtales
Family: Melastomataceae
Genus: Melastoma
Species:
M. malabathricum
Binomial name
Melastoma malabathricum
Synonyms
  • Melastoma affine D.
  • Melastoma candidum D. Don
  • Melastoma cavaleriei H. Lév. & Vaniot
  • Melastoma esquirolii H. Lév.
  • Melastoma malabathricum var. normale (D. Don) R.C. Srivast.
  • Melastoma malabathricum subsp. normale (D. Don) K.Mey.
  • Melastoma normale D. Don
  • Melastoma polyanthum Blume [1]

Melastoma malabathricum, known also as Malabar melastome, Indian rhododendron, Singapore rhododendron, planter's rhododendron and senduduk, is a flowering plant in the family Melastomataceae native to Seychelles, tropical and subtropical Asia to Australia and western Pacific islands.[2] Despite its common names, it does not have any connection to actual rhododendrons, and belongs to the Rosids clade as opposed to the Asterids clade. This plant is usually found at elevations between 100 m and 2,800 m in grassland and sparse forest habitats.[3] It has been used as a medicinal plant in certain parts of the world,[4] but has been declared a noxious weed in the United States.[5] M. malabathricum is a known hyperaccumulator of aluminium, and as such can be used for phytoremediation.[6]

  1. ^ "Melastoma malabathricum L. — the Plant List".
  2. ^ "Melastoma malabathricum L. | Plants of the World Online | Kew Science". Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 2024-03-21.
  3. ^ Melastoma malabathricum - Flora of China
  4. ^ Melastoma malabathricum (L.) Smith Ethnomedicinal Uses, Chemical Constituents, and Pharmacological Properties
  5. ^ "Melastoma malabathricum". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
  6. ^ Watanabe, Toshihiro; Osaki, Mitsuru; Yoshihara, Teruhiko; Tadano, Toshiaki (1998). "Distribution and chemical speciation of aluminum in the Al accumulator plant, Melastoma malabathricum L." Plant and Soil. 201 (2): 165–173. doi:10.1023/A:1004341415878. S2CID 8649008.