''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 Pacific Ocean islands. The genus was named after

J. de Medinilla ''J. The Jewish News of Northern California'', formerly known as ''Jweekly'', is a weekly print newspaper in Northern California, with its online edition updated daily. It is owned and operated by San Francisco Jewish Community Publications In ...

, governor of the

Mariana Islands The Mariana Islands (; also the Marianas; in Chamorro: ''Manislan Mariånas'') are a crescent-shaped archipelago comprising the summits of fifteen longitudinally oriented, mostly dormant volcanic mountains in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, betw ...

in 1820. They are evergreen

shrub A shrub (often also called a bush) is a small-to-medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees ...

s or

liana A liana is a long- stemmed, woody vine that is rooted in the soil at ground level and uses trees, as well as other means of vertical support, to climb up to the canopy in search of direct sunlight. The word ''liana'' does not refer to a ta ...

s. The

leaves A leaf (plural, : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant plant stem, stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", wh ...

are opposite or whorled, or alternate in some species. The flowers are white, pink, red, or orange, and are produced singly or in large

panicle A panicle is a much-branched inflorescence. (softcover ). Some authors distinguish it from a compound spike inflorescence, by requiring that the flowers (and fruit) be pedicellate (having a single stem per flower). The branches of a panicle are of ...

Selected species

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

Medinilla acuminata ''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 ...

'' 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 ''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 ...

'' India *''

Medinilla astronioides ''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 ...

'' Philippines *''

Medinilla banahaensis ''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 ...

'' Philippines *'' Medinilla beamanii'' Borneo *''

Medinilla brevipendunculata ''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 ...

'' Philippines *''

Medinilla clemetis ''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 ...

'' Philippines *''

Medinilla congesta ''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 ...

'' Philippines *''

Medinilla cordata ''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 ...

'' Philippines *''

Medinilla cummingii ''Medinilla cummingii'', the chandelier tree, is a species of flowering plant in the family Melastomataceae, native to mossy forest in the Philippines at altitude. It is a small shrub, in height, with ternate or quaternate leaves, and many-flow ...

'' Philippines *''

Medinilla curtisii ''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 dolichophylla ''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 ...

'' Philippines *''

Medinilla erythrophylla ''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, 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 ...

'' China *''

Medinilla halconensis ''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 ...

'' Philippines * Taiwan *''

Medinilla himalayana ''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 ...

'' India *'' Medinilla involucrata'' Philippines *'' Medinilla lanceata'' China *'' Medinilla luchuenensis'' China *''

Medinilla magnifica ''Medinilla magnifica'', the showy medinilla or rose grape, is a species of flowering plant in the family Melastomataceae, native to the Philippines . It is an epiphyte. Various species and hybrids in this family are well known and popular with p ...

'' Philippines *'' Medinilla malindangensis'' Philippines *''

Medinilla merrillii ''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 ...

'' Philippines *'' Medinilla mindorensis'' Philippines *'' Medinilla miniata'' Philippines *''

Medinilla multiflora ''Medinilla multiflora'' is a species of semi-epiphytic plant endemic to the Philippines. These plants grow up to tall and produce pink flowers which develop into magenta or reddish fruits. It flowers year-round, peaking at around May and Jun ...

'' Philippines *'' Medinilla mytiformis'' Philippines *'' Medinilla nana'' China *''

Medinilla petelotii ''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 pycnantha'' Quisumb. & Merr. Philippines *'' Medinilla ramiflora'' Philippines *'' Medinilla rubicunda'' China *'' Medinilla scortechinii'' Philippines *''

Medinilla sedifolia ''Medinilla sedifolia'' is a perennial plant of the family Melastomataceae that grows primarily in Madagascar, but is occasionally used as a terrarium plant, an epiphyte mounting, or in hanging pots. It is small for the genus, growing only tall. ...

'' *''

Medinilla septentrionalis ''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 speciosa ''Medinilla speciosa'' is a perennial epiphytic plant in the genus ''Medinilla'' of the family Melastomataceae. Etymology ''Medinilla'' is named for José de Medinilla y Pineda, who was governor of Mauritius (then known as the Marianne Islands ...

'' Philippines *''

Medinilla theresae ''Medinilla theresae'' is an endemic species of flowering evergreen shrub or liana in the family Melastomataceae, occurring on ultramafic soils on the dwarf forests of Mt. Redondo, Dinagat Island at 700-840 elevation, and at Mt. Hamiguitan, Phil ...

'' Philippines *''

Medinilla venosa ''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 P ...

'' Indonesia, Philippines *''

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 ''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 P ...

'' 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