''Medinilla'' is a genus of about 368 species 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 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 tropical regions of the Old World from Africa east through southeast Asia to Australia and the western Pacific Ocean. The genus was named after José de Medinilla y Pineda, governor of the

Mariana Islands The Mariana Islands ( ; ), also simply the Marianas, are a crescent-shaped archipelago comprising the summits of fifteen longitudinally oriented, mostly dormant volcanic mountains in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, between the 12th and 21st pa ...

in 1820. Species in this genus are

evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has Leaf, foliage that remains green and functional throughout the year. This contrasts with deciduous plants, which lose their foliage completely during the winter or dry season. Consisting of many diffe ...

shrubs or vines. The leaves 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 In botany, 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 p ...

Selected species

''For a complete list of species, see List of Medinilla species'' The following species have articles on Wikipedia: *'' Medinilla balls-headleyi'' – Queensland *'' Medinilla beamanii'' – Borneo *'' Medinilla cummingii'' – Philippines *''

Medinilla magnifica ''Medinilla magnifica'', the showy medinilla or rose grape, is a species of epiphytic flowering plant, of the family Melastomataceae, native to the Philippines. Various cultivars and hybrids of this species, genus and family are well-known and ha ...

'' – 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 June. ...

'' – 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. ...

'' – Madagascar *''

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 waterhousei ''Medinilla waterhousei'', commonly known as tagimaucia or tagimoucia (, ), 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 liana bearing crimson ...

'' – Fiji

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