Memecylon Plebejum

''Memecylon plebejum'' is a tree or shrub species in the Melastomataceae family. It grows in tropical Asia from Thailand to Myanmar, Assam (India) and Bangladesh. It favours slopes of hills and mountains, growing up to 1685m elevation, in the understorey of primary forests primarily. It hosts at least one fruit-fly and two parasitoid wasps. The wood is very hard to cut, making it difficult to use as firewood, but some people use it for agricultural tool handles.

Description

An evergreen tree or shrub that grows some 4.5 to 10m tall. Seed germination times are 16 to 44 days in both partial and deep shade.

Taxonomy

This species has been identified by molecular phylogenetics using nuclear ribosomal DNA as being in a Malesian/ Southeast Asian/Chinese clade with ''Memecylon caeruleum'', ''Memecylon cantleyi'', ''Memecylon lilacinum'', ''Memecylon pauciflorum'' and ''Memecylon scutellatum''.

Distribution

The taxa is native to an area in tropical Asia, from Thailand to Assam in India. Countries and regions in which it grows are: Thailand; Myanmar; India (Assam); and Bangladesh.

Habitat and ecology

On small Samae San Island, Chonburi Province, Thailand, there are 3 vegetation communities characterized by this tree. In the ''Memecylon plebejum'' with ''Atalantia monophylla'' community the most important trees are ''M. plebejum'', '' Vitex limonifolia'' and '' Diospyros filipendula'' out of 23 tree species, it is distributed on medium or less slopes at low altitudes (<60m) with high soil moisture. In the ''Memecylon plebejum'' community I there are some 17 tree species, with the three most important being ''M. plebejum'', ''D. filipendula'' and ''V. limonifolia'', this community is mostly distributed on medium slopes and altitude (<100m). The ''Memecylon plebejum'' community II has 20 tree species with ''M. plebejum'', ''V. limonifolia'' and ''D. filipendula'' the most important, it is found on upland slopes (>100m) to top of the mountains (max. 167m) with steep slopes and high sand percentage in soil. Biomass is given in the following table.

The community on the medium slopes and altitude have more but slighter trees, the community on medium slopes and low altitude (MpwAm) have the less frequent but more sturdy, branchier, leafier and more rooted trees.

On the border of Namtok Phlio National Park, Chanthaburi Province, Thailand, the tree is found in gallery forest of lower tropical rainforest at Ban Thaew Khlong.

In primary forests of Umphang Wildlife Sanctuary, Tak Province, northwestern Thailand, the species ''Syzygium cumini'',
''Nephelium hypoleucum'', ''Walsura trichostemon'', and ''Anacolosa ilicoides'' dominate, with ''M. plebejum'' as a minor component.

The species grows as one of the common evergreen trees up to 10m in the sub-understorey of the evergreen and pine forest of Doi Khun Tan National Park, in Lamphun and Lampang Provinces, northern Thailand.
This community grows from 1000 to 1350m above sea level, and the canopy is dominated by '' Pinus kesiya'' and a very diverse group of deciduous and evergreen trees: '' Hovenia dulcis'' (up to 40m tall), ''Acrocarpus fraxinifolius'', ''Pterocymbium dongnaiense'', '' Melia azedarach'', ''Toona hexandra'', '' Erythrina stricta'', ''Balakata baccata

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