Melastoma septemnervium facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Melastoma septemnervium |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Melastoma
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| Species: |
septemnervium
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| Synonyms | |
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Melastoma candidum D. Don |
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Melastoma septemnervium is a type of plant. It can be a straight-growing bush or a small, thin tree. This plant has pretty pink flowers with five petals. These flowers are medium-sized. People like to grow them because they are so attractive. Its leaves are special. They have five clear lines, like veins, running along them. This is a common feature for plants in the Melastomataceae family.
What Does It Look Like?
Melastoma septemnervium can grow as a bush or a small tree. It can reach up to 5 meters (about 16 feet) tall. The leaves are shaped like an oval. They have short, stiff hairs or tiny scales on their top side. The bottom side of the leaves has softer, thicker hairs. There are also some scales mixed in on the leaf veins.
Where Does It Grow?
This plant is originally from several places in Asia. These include Vietnam, southern China, the Philippines, Taiwan, the Ryukyu Islands, and southern Japan.
Melastoma septemnervium has also been brought to Hawaii. There, it grows in the wild. It is even found in large numbers on Kauai and Hawaii Island. It can grow from sea level up to 900 meters (about 2,950 feet) high.
This plant likes to grow in light forests. It also grows in open areas and grasslands. You can find it on rocky slopes too. In Hawaii, it prefers places that are moist or wet. It also likes the edges of bogs, which are wet, spongy areas.
How Did It Get Its Name?
Scientists in Hawaii used to call these plants by a different name. They thought it was Melastoma malabathricum. But later, in 1999, scientists like Wagner and his team studied them more closely. They found that the Hawaiian plants were actually M. candidum.
They noticed many differences. For example, M. septemnervium has a higher number of chromosomes. Chromosomes are tiny parts inside cells that carry genetic information. M. septemnervium has 56 chromosomes (2n = 56). Melastoma malabathricum only has 24 chromosomes (2n = 24).
The plant M. septemnervium was first described by a person named Loureiro in 1790. Today, M. septemnervium is the accepted name for this plant by some experts. They consider M. candidum to be an older, less correct name for the same plant. However, both names are still used a lot.
