Melastomataceae FAMILY

Melastoma candidum

Edibility

2/5

Medicinal

2/5

Safety & Hazards

None known

Cultivation Details

HabitEvergreen Shrub

Growth—

The plant is often grown as an ornamental - in Hawaii it has proved to be an invasive shrub that can spread rapidly and may form dense monotypic thickets in a variety of habitats such as: open land, grassland, shrubland and native forest^[1].

Propagation

Seed - best sown fresh in a nursery seedbed, or in containers because of the small size of the seed. Germination is best in either full sun or in light shade^[2]. Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Melastoma+candidum>

Pollinators

Bees

References

[1]Global Invasive Species Database — http://www.issg.org/database/welcome/ ↩︎Very detailed information on almost 400 species (with more being added) of plants that have become weeds in areas outside their native range.
[2]Plant Resources of Southeast Asia — http://proseanet.org/ ↩︎Lots of information on the uses of the plants of SE Asia.
[3]Revision of the Southeast Asian Genus Melastoma (Melastomataceae) — Meyer K. · 2001 ↩︎