''Miconia'' is a genus of

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed with ...

s in the glory bush 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 ...

, native to warm

temperate In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (approximately 23.5° to 66.5° N/S of the Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ran ...

tropical The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the equator, where the sun may shine directly overhead. This contrasts with the temperate or polar regions of Earth, where the Sun can never be directly overhead. This is because of Earth's ax ...

regions of the

Americas The Americas, sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North America and South America.''Webster's New World College Dictionary'', 2010 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio. When viewed as a sing ...

. The species are mostly

shrub A shrub or 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 by their multiple ...

s and small to medium-sized

tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, e.g., including only woody plants with secondary growth, only ...

s up to 15 m tall. The generic name honours Catalan physician and botanist Francesc Micó. Some species are known by the common name johnnyberry. Many species are threatened by

habitat destruction Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss or habitat reduction) occurs when a natural habitat is no longer able to support its native species. The organisms once living there have either moved elsewhere, or are dead, leading to a decrease ...

in their native range, and some are feared to be on the brink of

extinct Extinction is the termination of an organism by the death of its Endling, last member. A taxon may become Functional extinction, functionally extinct before the death of its last member if it loses the capacity to Reproduction, reproduce and ...

ion. On the other hand, '' M. calvescens'' is a contributing factor in the decline and maybe even extinction of other plants: it has become a highly invasive

weed A weed is a plant considered undesirable in a particular situation, growing where it conflicts with human preferences, needs, or goals.Harlan, J. R., & deWet, J. M. (1965). Some thoughts about weeds. ''Economic botany'', ''19''(1), 16-24. Pla ...

on a number of

Pacific Islands The Pacific islands are a group of islands in the Pacific Ocean. They are further categorized into three major island groups: Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Depending on the context, the term ''Pacific Islands'' may refer to one of several ...

where it was introduced, including

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...

and

Tahiti Tahiti (; Tahitian language, Tahitian , ; ) is the largest island of the Windward Islands (Society Islands), Windward group of the Society Islands in French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of France. It is located in the central part of t ...

. It is often referred to as the "purple plague" or the "green cancer" in reference to its habit of overgrowing native

ecosystem An ecosystem (or ecological system) is a system formed by Organism, organisms in interaction with their Biophysical environment, environment. The Biotic material, biotic and abiotic components are linked together through nutrient cycles and en ...

s, and its leaves which are bright green above and bright purple below. ''Miconia'' fruit are a favorite

food Food is any substance consumed by an organism for Nutrient, nutritional support. Food is usually of plant, animal, or Fungus, fungal origin and contains essential nutrients such as carbohydrates, fats, protein (nutrient), proteins, vitamins, ...

of many

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class (biology), class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the Oviparity, laying of Eggshell, hard-shelled eggs, a high Metabolism, metabolic rate, a fou ...

s (invasive ''M. calvescens'' spreads by this route). The leaves of some species are eaten by

caterpillar Caterpillars ( ) are the larval stage of members of the order Lepidoptera (the insect order comprising butterflies and moths). As with most common names, the application of the word is arbitrary, since the larvae of sawflies (suborder ...

s of the moth-butterflies (

Hedylidae Hedylidae, the "American moth-butterflies", is a Family (biology), family of insects in the order Lepidoptera, formerly representing the superfamily Hedyloidea. They have traditionally been viewed as an Extant taxon, extant sister group of the bu ...

Species

As of 2023, genus ''Miconia'' comprises nearly 1,900 species, with new species occasionally being discovered. Among them are: Miconia fallax

* ''

Miconia abbreviata ''Miconia abbreviata'' is a species of plant in the family Melastomataceae. It is endemic to Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the eas ...

'' * ''

Miconia acuminata ''Miconia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the glory bush family, Melastomataceae, native to warm temperate to tropical regions of the Americas. The species are mostly shrubs and small to medium-sized trees up to 15 m tall. The generic name ...

'' * '' Miconia acutifolia'' * '' Miconia aequatorialis'' * ''

Miconia albicans ''Miconia albicans'' is a species of shrub in the family Melastomataceae. It is known as canela-de-velho in Brazilian Portuguese. It is native to North and South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere an ...

'' * '' Miconia aligera'' * '' Miconia alpina'' * '' Miconia altissima'' * '' Miconia argyrea'' * '' Miconia ascendens'' * '' Miconia asplundii'' * '' Miconia aspratilis'' * '' Miconia augustii'' * '' Miconia ayacuchensis'' * '' Miconia bailloniana'' * '' Miconia barbipilis'' * '' Miconia barclayana'' * '' Miconia beneolens'' * '' Miconia benoistii'' * '' Miconia bicolor'' * '' Miconia bipatrialis'' * '' Miconia bolivarensis'' * '' Miconia bracteolata'' * '' Miconia brasiliensis'' * '' Miconia brevistylis'' * '' Miconia brevitheca'' * '' Miconia brunnea'' * '' Miconia budlejoides'' * '' Miconia caelata'' * '' Miconia caesariata'' * '' Miconia cabucu'' * '' Miconia cajanumana'' * '' Miconia calignosa'' * '' Miconia calophylla'' * ''

Miconia calvescens ''Miconia calvescens'', the velvet tree, miconia, or bush currant, is a species of flowering plant in the family Melastomataceae. It is native to Mexico and Central and South America and it has become one of the world's most invasive species. ...

'' * '' Miconia campii'' * ''

Miconia candolleana ''Miconia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the glory bush family, Melastomataceae, native to warm temperate to tropical regions of the Americas. The species are mostly shrubs and small to medium-sized trees up to 15 m tall. The generic name ...

'' * ''

Miconia capitellata ''Miconia capitellata'' is a species of plant in the family Melastomataceae. It is endemic to Ecuador. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forest Montane ecosystems are found on the slopes of mountains. The alpine c ...

'' * '' Miconia castillensis'' * '' Miconia castrensis'' * '' Miconia cava'' * ''

Miconia centrosperma ''Miconia centrosperma'' is a species of plant in the family Melastomataceae. It is endemic to Panama. It is threatened by habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss or habitat reduction) occurs when a natural habitat is no ...

'' * '' Miconia ceramicarpa'' * '' Miconia cercophora'' * '' Miconia chamissois'' * '' Miconia chartacea'' * '' Miconia ciliata'' * '' Miconia cinerascens'' * '' Miconia cinnamomifolia'' * ''

Miconia collayensis ''Miconia collayensis'' is a species of plant in the family Melastomataceae. It is endemic to Ecuador. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forest Montane ecosystems are found on the slopes of mountains. The alpine c ...

'' * '' Miconia conformis'' * '' Miconia corazonica'' * '' Miconia cosangensis'' * '' Miconia crebribullata'' * '' Miconia crenata'' * '' Miconia cuprea'' * '' Miconia cutucuensis'' * '' Miconia dapsiliflora'' * '' Miconia demissifolia'' * '' Miconia depauperata'' * '' Miconia dichroa'' * '' Miconia dielsii'' * '' Miconia dissimulans'' * '' Miconia divaricata'' * '' Miconia dodsonii'' * '' Miconia doriana'' * ''

Miconia elegantissima ''Miconia elegantissima'' is a species of plant in the family Melastomataceae. It is endemic to Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List ...

'' * '' Miconia espinosae'' * '' Miconia explicita'' * ''

Miconia fallax ''Miconia fallax'' is a species of shrub in the family Melastomataceae. It is native to South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller por ...

'' * '' Miconia fasciculata'' * '' Miconia floccosa'' * '' Miconia florbella'' * '' Miconia formosa'' * '' Miconia fosbergii'' * '' Miconia fuliginosa'' * '' Miconia gibba'' * ''

Miconia gigantophylla ''Micronia gigantophylla'' is a species of flowering plant belonging to 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 ...

'' * '' Miconia gilva'' * '' Miconia glandulistyla'' * '' Miconia glazioviana'' * '' Miconia glyptophylla'' * '' Miconia gonioclada'' * '' Miconia grayana'' * '' Miconia griffisii'' * '' Miconia guayaquilensis'' * '' Miconia hexamera'' * '' Miconia hirsutivena'' * '' Miconia holosericea'' * '' Miconia huigrensis'' * '' Miconia hylophila'' * '' Miconia idiogena'' * '' Miconia imitans'' * '' Miconia inanis'' * '' Miconia innata'' * '' Miconia jorgensenii'' * '' Miconia jucunda'' * '' Miconia lacera'' * '' Miconia lachnoclada'' * '' Miconia langsdorffii'' * '' Miconia latecrenata'' * '' Miconia laxa'' * '' Miconia leandroides'' * '' Miconia ledifolia'' * '' Miconia ligustroides'' * '' Miconia littlei'' * '' Miconia longicuspis'' * '' Miconia longidentata'' * '' Miconia longisetosa'' * '' Miconia lugonis'' * '' Miconia macbrydeana'' * '' Miconia macrothyrsa'' * '' Miconia mediocris'' * '' Miconia medusa'' * '' Miconia minutiflora'' * '' Miconia molesta'' * '' Miconia namandensis'' * '' Miconia nasella'' * '' Miconia nervosa'' * '' Miconia nubicola'' * '' Miconia ochroleuca'' * '' Miconia octopetala'' * '' Miconia oellgaardii'' * '' Miconia oligantha'' * '' Miconia ombrophila'' * '' Miconia onaensis'' * '' Miconia organensis'' * ''

Miconia ovalifolia ''Miconia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the glory bush family, Melastomataceae, native to warm temperate to tropical regions of the Americas. The species are mostly shrubs and small to medium-sized trees up to 15 m tall. The generic name ...

'' * '' Miconia pailasana'' * '' Miconia paniculata'' * '' Miconia papillosa'' * '' Miconia pastazana'' * '' Miconia paulensis'' * '' Miconia pausana'' * '' Miconia penduliflora'' * '' Miconia penningtonii'' * '' Miconia pepericarpa'' * '' Miconia perelegans'' * '' Miconia pernettifolia'' * '' Miconia phaeochaeta'' * '' Miconia pilaloensis'' * '' Miconia pisinniflora'' * '' Miconia poecilantha'' * '' Miconia pohliana'' * '' Miconia poortmannii'' * '' Miconia prasina'' * '' Miconia prietoi'' * ''

Miconia proctorii ''Miconia proctorii'' is a species of plant in the family Melastomataceae. It is endemic to Jamaica. It is threatened by habitat loss. References albicans ''Albicans'' (Latin, 'whitening') may refer to: * Corpus albicans The corpus alb ...

'' * '' Miconia prominens'' * '' Miconia protuberans'' * '' Miconia pseudo-eichlerii'' * ''

Miconia pseudopedicellata ''Miconia pseudopedicellata'' is a species of plant in the family Melastomataceae. It is endemic to Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and L ...

'' * '' Miconia pseudorigida'' * '' Miconia pusilliflora'' * '' Miconia rabenii'' * '' Miconia reburrosa'' * '' Miconia renneri'' * '' Miconia rheophytica'' * '' Miconia rimbachii'' * '' Miconia rivetii'' * '' Miconia rubiginosa'' * '' Miconia salicifolia'' * '' Miconia santaritensis'' * '' Miconia scabra'' * '' Miconia scutata'' * '' Miconia saldanhaei'' * ''

Miconia secunpastazana ''Miconia secunpastazana'' is a species of plant in the family Melastomataceae. It is endemic to Ecuador. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montane forest Montane ecosys ...

'' * '' Miconia sellowiana'' * '' Miconia serrulata'' * '' Miconia seticaulis'' * '' Miconia setulosa'' * '' Miconia silicicola'' * '' Miconia sintenisii'' * '' Miconia sodiroi'' * '' Miconia sparrei'' * '' Miconia staminea'' * '' Miconia stenophylla'' * '' Miconia stenostachya'' * '' Miconia suborbicularis'' * ''

Miconia subseriata ''Miconia subseriata'' is a species of plant 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. ...

'' * '' Miconia subvernicosa'' * '' Miconia superba'' * '' Miconia tephrodes'' * '' Miconia theaezans'' * ''

Miconia tococa ''Miconia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the Tibouchina, glory bush family, Melastomataceae, native to warm temperate to Tropics, tropical regions of the Americas. The species are mostly shrubs and small to medium-sized trees up to 15 m ta ...

'' * '' Miconia tomentosa'' * '' Miconia tristis'' * '' Miconia urophylla'' * '' Miconia valenzuelana'' * '' Miconia vesca'' * '' Miconia villonacensis'' * '' Miconia willdenowii'' * '' Miconia zamorensis''

References

External links

* {{Authority control Melastomataceae genera Flora of the Neotropical realm Taxa named by José Antonio Pavón Jiménez Taxa named by Hipólito Ruiz López