Changes

*''Melastoma affine'' D. Don (1823), *''Melastoma denticulatum'' Labill. (1824), *''Melastoma polyanthum'' Blume (1831).

*A shrub or small tree up to 5 m tall, young branches quadrangular, covered with appressed, spreading or erect scales and/or bristles, bark brown, old branches terete, glabrescent; leaves .*Leaves elliptical to lanceolate, (4-)6-15 cm × (0.6-)2-6.5 cm, base rounded to acute, apex acuminate, 5- or 7-veined, above and beneath strigose to pilose; cyme .*Cyme terminal, 3-12-flowered; flowers .*Flowers normally 5-merous, hypanthium campanulate 5-11 mm × 1-10 mm, covered with long golden to red scales, sepals lanceolate, intersepalar emergences present, petals obovate, 15-35 mm × 10-22 mm, violet, seldom white, stamens dimorphic (seldom monomorphic), anther of longer outer stamens violet, connective prolonged, filaments 6-12 mm long, anther of inner stamens yellow, connective not prolonged, filaments 5.5-9.5 mm long, ovary shorter than hypanthium, crowned by bristles; capsule .*Capsule fleshy, 7-11 mm × 6-10 mm, opening irregularly transversely at maturity, exposing the soft dark blue pulp with orange seeds.  ''M. malabathricum'' is found in disturbed locations, on fallow land, or in grasslands from sea-level up to 3000 m altitude. On the basis of the indumentum on leaves and branches two subspecies are recognized: subsp. ''malabathricum'' with strigose to slightly pilose leaves beneath and branches covered with scales, and subsp. ''normale'' (D. Don) K. Meyer with pilose leaves beneath and strigose branches. The latter subspecies has a more northern distribution and is confined to higher elevations in tropical areas.

*J.L.C.H. van Valkenburg & N. Bunyapraphatsara