Medinilla venosa (Blume) Blume, Melastomataceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Other Latin names:  Melastoma venosum Blume

Common name(s): [more details]

English: holdtight

Habit:  shrub

Description:  "Erect shrubs 2-3 m tall; uppermost branches rounded, covered with spreading, plumose, brown hairs.  Leaves somewhat unequal in each pair, elliptic, elliptic-oblong, or elliptic-lanceolate, 7-18 cm long, 2.5-9 cm wide, pinnately nerved with 3-4 pairs of primary nerves diverging from the central nerve at successive points above base of blade, upper surface essentially glabrous at maturity, lower surface covered with spreading, plumose hairs, margins entire, apex acute to acuminate, base of larger leaves rounded to subauriculate, petioles 4-40 mm long.  Inflorescences 8-11 cm long (incl. peduncle), pedicels 6-8 mm long in fruit, bracts and bracteoles ovate to elliptic-ovate or lanceolate, 5-15 mm long, 2-8 (-14) mm wide, 3-5-nerved, deciduous; hypanthium ca. 4 mm long, moderately to densely stellate pubescent; calyx lobes 4, erect, broadly rounded, ca. 2 mm long; petals 4, pink, obliquely obovate, 9-11 mm long, 5-6 mm wide at apex; stamens 8, more or less equal; filaments 4.5-5 mm long; anthers 3.5-4 mm long, the truncate dorsal spur ca. 0.25 mm long, deflexed, the ventral appendages ca. 1 mm long; ovary densely bristly at summit.  Berries reportedly white at maturity, 4-celled, 5-7 mm long.  Seeds papillose, ca. 0.5 mm long"  (Wagner et al., 1999; pp. 909-910).

Habitat/ecology:  Naturalized in wet coastal forests on Maui, Hawai‘i.  "The species is reportedly an epiphyte in its native range, but the adventive population on Maui appears to be terrestrial."  (Wagner et al., 1999; pp. 909-910).

Propagation:  Seed, maybe bird-dispersed.

Native range:  Indonesia and the Philippine Islands (GRIN).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Maui Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (pp. 909-910)
Philippines Philippine Islands	Philippine Islands	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013) Catanduanes, Luzon, Mindanao, Negros
Philippines Philippine Islands	Philippine Islands	native	Merrill, Elmer D. (1923) (p. 205) In primary forests at low altitudes.

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Indonesia Indonesia	Indonesia (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013) Celebes, Moluccas

Control:  If you know of control methods for Medinilla venosa, please let us know.