The Melastomataceae are herbs, shrubs, or trees comprising about 200 genera and 4,000 species that are further characterized by having the major leaf veins usually 3-9 palmate and running in a parallel fashion from the base of the blade to near the leaf tip (Botany Hawaii, TT). Trees (rarely tall), treelets, shrubs, herbs, lianas and epiphytes, stems often quadrangular. Epidermis glabrous or with an elaborate indumentum varying from simple, unicellular hairs to complex multicellular, non-glandular or eglandular trichomes.
Leaves opposite, exstipulate, decussate, simple, entire or dentate and usually petiolate, with 2-8 lateral primary veins running sub-parallel to leaf margin diverging from or above base and converging towards apex (sometimes uni-nerved, rarely pinnately veined); anisophylly and ant domatia (typically in the leaf bases) quite common. Inflorescences terminal and/or axillary, paniculate cymes, racemes, umbels or occasionally in glomerules, fascicles or flowers solitary. Flowers actinomorphic or often with zygomorphic stamens, often bracteolate, hermaphrodite; hypanthium campanulate or urn-shaped; calyx lobes (3)4-5(-8), usually regularly lobed and imbricate to valvate, sometimes indistinct or absent, sometimes with external teeth or fused to form a calyptra; petals equal to number of calyx lobes, imbricate in bud, free, right-contorted, usually spreading, white, pink, purple, magenta or red, seldom orange or yellow; stamens usually twice as many as petals, isomorphic or dimorphic with inner set smaller than outer, anthers basifixed, apically dehiscent by 1-2(-4) pores, connective often prolonged and variously appendaged ventrally and/or dorsally; ovary superior to inferior (hypanthium free or adhering to ovary completely or partially), locules 3-6, style single, elongate, stigma punctate to capitate. Fruits fleshy berries or a loculicidal capsules. Seeds numerous, straight, cuneate or curved (cochleate).
Some examples of plants from Melastomathaceae are:
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