Memecylon floribundum Blume, Melastomataceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  no

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Other Latin names:  Melochia caeruleum

Common name(s): [more details]

Chinese: tian lan gu mu

Habit:  shrub

Description:  "Shrub.  Leaves without basal nerves or nearly so, but midrib obvious (1-nerved), or slightly 3-nerved (basal nerves weak but not inconspicuous); side nerves absent to ell-developed.  Leaves 1-nerved on both surfaces.  Flowers hermaphrodite. Flowers in simple or compound umbels; petals purple or blue.  Pedicels articulate near the middle, thick, 3-5 mm, bibracteolate, the bracteoles persistent, curved, ± 1/2 mm long; inflorescence 8-15-flowered; peducle 2-5 mm; hypanthium broadly campanulate, 4 mm; its upper rim minutely 4-dentate; petals obovate-orbicular, 3-4 mm, bluish purple within, reddish without.  Leaves thick-coriaceous, apex acute, obtuse or sometimes emarginate, mucronate, the mucro easily damaged, ovate-oblong-elliptic, obtuse or rounded, rarely cuneate at base, with obscure cross-veins on both sides, 6-17 1/2 cm by 2 1/2-8 cm; petiole 3-7 mm.  Ovules 7-10, often 8; style 4-5 mm; berry obovoid or ellipsoid, with an unequal base, 1-1 1/2 cm long" (Backer & Bakhuizen van den Brink, 1963; pp. 371-372).

Habitat/ecology:  "Forests and forest gaps, mountain slopes, rock outcrops.  Where native, this shrub is common on rocky and sandy shores.  It is invasive because it becomes dominant in the shrub layer of forests and the dense canopies eliminate all vegetation by shading out.  Forest gaps are quickly covered by a continuous cover of seedlings of this shrub.  Establishment depends on light and occurs in openings and disturbed sites.  Established stands have a very low plant and invertebrate species richness and prevent natural forest regeneration"  (Weber, 2003; p. 265).  "Brushwoods, young forest, village-groves" (Backer & Bakhuizen van den Brink, 1963; pp. 371-372).

Propagation:  Bird-dispersed seed (Weber, 2003; p. 265).

Native range:  China, Cambodia, Vietnam and Indonesia (GRIN).

Presence:

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. (2011)
China China	China (People's Republic of)	native	Zhengyi, Wu/Raven, Peter H./Deyuan, Hong (2011) Sparse to dense forests; 900-1200 m. Hainan, S.E. Xizang, Yunnan.
Indonesia Indonesia	Indonesia (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Vietnam Vietnam	Vietnam (Socialist Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)

Indian Ocean
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Seychelles Seychelles Islands	Mahé Island	introduced	Gerlach, J. (1995)
Seychelles Seychelles Islands	Seychelles Islands	introduced invasive	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011) Naturalized.

Control: 

Physical:  Hand pull or dig out seedlings and young trees.

Chemical:  Cut large plants and treat the stumps with herbicide.

Additional information:
Additional online information about Memecylon floribundum is available from the Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR).

Information about Memecylon floribundum as a weed (worldwide references) may be available from the Global Compendium of Weeds (GCW).

Taxonomic information about Memecylon floribundum may be available from the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN).

References:

Backer, C. A./Bakhuizen van den Brink, R. C. 1963. Flora of Java, Vol. 1. N.V. P. Noordhoff, Groningen, The Netherlands. 647 pp.

Cronk, Q. C. B./Fuller, J. L. 2001. Plant invaders. Earthscan Publications, Ltd., London. 241 pp.

Gerlach, J. 1995. Introduced Melastomataceae in the Seychelles. Aliens 1:14.

U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. 2011. National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Online searchable database.

Weber, Ewald. 2003. Invasive plants of the World. CABI Publishing, CAB International, Wallingford, UK. 548 pp.

Zhengyi, Wu/Raven, Peter H./Deyuan, Hong. 2011. Flora of China (online resource).