''Medinilla'' is a genus of about 400 species of

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

s in the family

Melastomataceae Melastomataceae is a family of dicotyledonous flowering plants found mostly in the tropics (two-thirds of the genera are from the New World tropics) comprising c. 175 genera and c. 5115 known species. Melastomes are annual or perennial herbs, s ...

, native to tropical regions of the Old World from

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

(two species) east through

Madagascar Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa ...

(about 70 species) and southern

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...

to the western

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the contin ...

islands. The genus was named after J. de Medinilla, governor of the Mariana Islands in 1820. They are

evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has foliage that remains green and functional through more than one growing season. This also pertains to plants that retain their foliage only in warm climates, and contrasts with deciduous plants, whic ...

shrubs or lianas. The leaves are opposite or whorled, or alternate in some species. The

flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...

s are white, pink, red, or orange, and are produced singly or in large panicles.

Selected species

There are approximately 418 species in this genus, including: *'' Medinilla acuminata'' Philippines *''

Medinilla arboricola ''Medinilla'' is a genus of about 400 species of flowering plants in the family Melastomataceae, native to tropical regions of the Old World from Africa (two species) east through Madagascar (about 70 species) and southern Asia to the western Pa ...

'' China *'' Medinilla assamica'' India *'' Medinilla astronioides'' Philippines *'' Medinilla banahaensis'' Philippines *'' Medinilla beamanii'' Borneo *'' Medinilla brevipendunculata'' Philippines *'' Medinilla clemetis'' Philippines *'' Medinilla congesta'' Philippines *'' Medinilla cordata'' Philippines *'' Medinilla cummingii'' Philippines *'' Medinilla curtisii'' *'' Medinilla dolichophylla'' Philippines *'' Medinilla erythrophylla'' China, Nepal, India *''

Medinilla fengii ''Medinilla'' is a genus of about 400 species of flowering plants in the family Melastomataceae, native to tropical regions of the Old World from Africa (two species) east through Madagascar (about 70 species) and southern Asia to the western Pa ...

'' China *''

Medinilla formosana ''Medinilla'' is a genus of about 400 species of flowering plants in the family Melastomataceae, native to tropical regions of the Old World from Africa (two species) east through Madagascar (about 70 species) and southern Asia to the western Pa ...

'' Taiwan *''

Medinilla fuligineo-glandulifera ''Medinilla'' is a genus of about 400 species of flowering plants in the family Melastomataceae, native to tropical regions of the Old World from Africa (two species) east through Madagascar (about 70 species) and southern Asia to the western Pa ...

'' China *''

Medinilla hainanensis ''Medinilla'' is a genus of about 400 species of flowering plants in the family Melastomataceae, native to tropical regions of the Old World from Africa (two species) east through Madagascar (about 70 species) and southern Asia to the western Pa ...

Medinilla waterhousei ''Medinilla waterhousei'', commonly known as tagimaucia or tagimoucia (tahng-ee-mow-theea), is a species of flowering plant in the family Melastomataceae which is endemic to the highland rainforest of the Fijian island of Taveuni. It is a lia ...

'' Fiji "Tagimaucia" *'' Medinilla yunnanensis'' China

References

External links

*Renner, S. S. (2004). Multiple Miocene Melastomataceae dispersal between Madagascar, Africa and India. ''Philos. Trans. R. Soc. Lond. B Biol. Sci.'' 359(1450): 1485-149
(pdf file)
Melastomataceae genera {{Melastomataceae-stub