Melastoma dodecandrum
Family: Melastomataceae
What it is like
Melastoma dodecandrum is an evergreen Shrub growing to 0.3 m (1ft). It is in leaf all year, in flower from June to July, and the seeds ripen from August to September. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs). Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist soil.
Height (m): 0.3
Where it is found
Virgin wilds on hillsides. Open fields, grassland, trailsides and thickets to elevations of 1300 metres in. Anhui, Fujian, Guizhou, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hunan, Jiangxi and Zhejiang Provinces.
E. Asia - southeastern China.
Conservation Status:
Countries/locations it is found in
How it is used
Food
Rating: 0
Medicine
Rating: 1
The whole plant is astringent. It is used in the treatment of enteritis, dysentery, rheumatism, pains in the back and legs, excessive menstruation and an overly active foetus.
Astringent: Produces contraction in living tissue, reducing the flow of secretions and discharges of blood, mucus, diarrhoea etc.
Dysentery: Used in treating dysentery - an infection of the intestines that causes diarrhoea containing blood or mucus.
Other
Rating:
How it is grown
We have very little information on this species and do not know if it will be hardy in Britain, though judging from its native habitat it could be hardy in the milder areas of the country.
Propagating it: Seed -
Best place to grow: Woodland Garden Sunny Edge;
Habit: Shrub
Hardiness:
Growth:
Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)
Shade: Semi-shade, no shade
Moisture: Moist