Melastoma sanguineum Sims, Melastomataceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Risk assessment results:  High risk, score: 11 (Go to the risk assessment)

Other Latin names:  Melastoma decemfidum Roxb.

Common name(s): [more details]

Chinese: mao nie

English: fox-tongued melastoma, red melastome

Habit:  shrub/tree

Description:  "Erect shrubs or small trees 2-4 (-8) m tall, branches and petioles sparsely covered with spreading, smooth hairs 5-15 mm long, but often intermixed with or replaced by appressed, smooth, subulate hairs usually 1 mm or less long. Leaves ovate-lanceolate, (8-) 10-20 cm long, 2-4 (-6.5) cm wide, 5 (-7)-nerved, upper surface moderately covered with hairs that are adnate to the epidermis for most of their length, lower surface strigillose with scattered appressed, lanceolate scales on the elevated nerves, margins entire, apex acuminate to attenuate, base obtuse to rounded, petioles 10-20 (-30) mm long. Inflorescences 2-7-flowered, pedicels 10-15 mm long in fruit, bracts and bracteoles elliptic to lanceolate, 7-15 mm long, 3-9 mm wide, early deciduous; hypanthium covered with spreading or incurved, smooth, more or less basally flattened hairs; calyx 6-lobed, ovate to triangular, 6-12 mm long, apex acuminate; petals 6, purplish pink, 2.5-4.7 cm long, 2.7-3.5 cm wide; anthers of larger stamens 12-15 mm long, connective prolonged 12-16 mm with an appendage ca. 2 mm long, anthers of smaller stamens 9-11 mm long. Berries 6-celled, 15-17 mm long" (Wagner et al., 1999; p. 911).

Habitat/ecology:  (no habitat/ecology info known by PIER)

Propagation:  Seed, bird-dispersed.

Native range:  Malay Peninsula, Java, Sumatra, Vietnam and southeastern China (Wagner et al., 1999; p. 911).

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	Hawai‘i (Big) Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 911)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	O‘ahu Island	introduced	Wester, Lyndon (1992) (p. 143)
Philippines Philippine Islands	Philippine Islands	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013) Leyte

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Cambodia Cambodia	Cambodia (Kingdom of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
China China	China (People's Republic of)	native	Zhengyi, Wu/Raven, Peter H./Deyuan, Hong (2013) Open slopes, thickets, grasslands, woodland margins on low hills, trailsides; below 400 m. Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan.
China China	Hong Kong	native	Wu, Te-lin (2001) (pp. 166-167) Along ditches or in thickets.
Indonesia Indonesia	Indonesia (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013) Celebes, Java, Lesser Sunda Islands, Sumatra
Malaysia Malaysia	Malaysia (country of)	native	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 911)
Thailand Thailand	Thailand (Kingdom of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Vietnam Vietnam	Vietnam (Socialist Republic of)	native	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 911)

Control:  If you know of control methods for Melastoma sanguineum, please let us know.