Medinilla magnifica Lindl., Melastomataceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Risk assessment results:  High risk, score: 8 (Go to the risk assessment)

Common name(s): [more details]

English: pink medinilla

Filipino: kapa-kapa

Habit:  shrub

Description:  "Scandent epiphytic glabrous shrub, 1-2 (-3) m high.  Branches quadrangular, compressed, distinctly winged, 10 mm in diameter; nodes densely setose, tufted with brownish stiff bristles c. 10 mm long, soon deciduous with age.  Leaves opposite, sessile; blades thickly coriaceous, elliptic to oblong, 30-34 (-45) cm long, 14-26 (-18) cm wide; apices acute; bases obtuse to shortly attenuate; 9-plinerved; occasionally 11-plinerved and if so, the marginal pair evanescent;  nerves flattened adaxially, slightly raised abaxially; transverse veins faintly distinct adaxially, absent abaxially.  Inflorescences terminal, many-flowered, pendulous, pink panicles 27-35 (-40) cm long, more or less fleshy; peduncles stout, fleshy, 10-15 (-18) cm long; secondary branches in whorls of 4; bracts spreading, elliptic-ovate, 60-80 (-100) mm long, 40-50 mm wide, acute at tip, reticulately veined; paired at the proximal end; whorled at the distal end, pink, persistent; bracteoles minute, subulate, caducous; pedicels slender, terete, 5-10 mm long.  Flowers 5-merous.  Hypanthium campanulate, 7-8 mm long, 3-4 mm wide, pinkish red, flared at the rim, denticulate.  Petals ovate, 15 mm long, 8 mm wide, membranous, dotted, pink.  Stamens equal; filaments flattened, 10 mm long; anthers rostrate, 10-12 mm long.  Fruits subglobose, bright pink to dark red when ripe, 6-7 mm in diameter; stalks terete, 10 mm long" (Regalado, 1995; p. 133).

"Evergreen shrub or epiphyte to ca. 3 m tall, with 4-angled or 4-winged branches, with a dense ring of short fleshy processes at the joints between the leaves; leaves opposite, sessile, mainly 15-30 cm long, ovate or ovate-oblong, entire, strongly veined, the veins converging toward the apex; flowers coral read, ca. 2.5 cm wide, in pendulous pyramidal panicles to 30 cm long, verticillate, having showy, whorled or opposite pinkish bracts ca. 2.5-10 cm long; petals 5; anthers purple, the filaments yellow" (Welsh, 1998; p. 181).

Habitat/ecology:  Rain forest epiphyte. In its native habitat in the Philippines, "in lowland dipterocarp forests between 300-500 m, in lower montane forests at 400-1000 m, or in cloud belt mossy forests up to 1400 m altitude" (Regalado, 1995; p. 133).

Propagation:  Seed, probably distributed by birds.

Native range:  Philippine Islands; also cultivated (GRIN).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
French Polynesia Society Islands	Raiatea (Havai) Island	introduced cultivated	Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. (2013) Cultivée
French Polynesia Society Islands	Tahiti Island	introduced	Welsh, S. L. (1998) (p. 181) Voucher cited: BRY 24828
French Polynesia Society Islands	Tahiti Island	introduced cultivated	Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. (2013) Voucher cited: J. Florence 2579 (PAP) Ornementale peu commune à Tahiti.
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Hawai‘i (Big) Island	introduced invasive	Parker, James L./Parsons, Bobby (2010) (p. 42) Voucher cited: K. Bio, J. Parker & R. McGuire BIED9 (BISH)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Hawaiian Islands	introduced cultivated	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 909)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Maui Island		Starr, Forest/Starr, Kim (year unknown)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	O‘ahu Island	introduced invasive	Daehler, Curtis C./Baker, Raymond F. (2006) (p. 15) Voucher cited: K. Nagata 216 (HLA)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	O‘ahu Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Frohlich, Danielle/Lau, Alex (2007) (p. 10) Voucher cited: J. Fisher OISCA8 (BISH)
Philippines Philippine Islands	Philippine Islands	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013) Luzon, Mindanao, Mindoro, Negros, Panay
Philippines Philippine Islands	Philippine Islands	native	Merrill, Elmer D. (1923) (p. 199) Often common in damp primary forests at low and medium altitudes.

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Singapore Singapore	Singapore (Republic of)	introduced cultivated	Chong, Kwek Yan/Tan, Hugh T. W./Corlett, Richard T. (2009) (p. 59) Cultivated only

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