Melastoma Malabathricum
by Susan Rissi Tregoning
Title
Melastoma Malabathricum
Artist
Susan Rissi Tregoning
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
The Melastoma Malabathricum is known by many other names: Straits Rhododendron, Indian Rhododendron, Singapore Rhododendron, Malabar Gooseberry, Sendudok, and Senduduk Baldu are just a few.
This showy bush rapidly colonizes wastelands as the seeds are dispersed by birds. It helps to prevent soil erosion and to allow regeneration of vegetation in such places.
The beautiful mauve colored flowers are showy lasting only one day. They open after sunrise, close the same day, with the petals falling off a few days later.
The seeds are tasteless and can be eaten but stain the tongue black. In fact, the word melastoma is Greek for “black mouth”. The pulp around the seeds is eaten in Indonesia.
The seeds are used to produce a black dye, the roots, a pink dye. In some places, the leaves are fed to silkworms.
Copyright 2017 Susan Rissi Tregoning
Special Features:
USA Photographers 11.22.17
Flora 1.24.18
Beautiful Flowers 5.7.18
Global Flowers 11.6.18
Uploaded
November 18th, 2017
Statistics
Viewed 2,649 Times - Last Visitor from Asheville, NC on 04/25/2024 at 2:17 AM
Embed
Share
Sales Sheet