Osbeckia nepalensis Hook.

Species

Angiosperms > Myrtales > Melastomataceae > Osbeckia

Characteristics

Shrubs 0.6-1(-1.5) m tall, erect. Stems 4-sided, densely strigose. Petiole 1-4 mm, densely strigose; leaf blade oblong-lanceolate to ovate-lanceolate, (5-)7-13 × (1.5-)2.5-3.8 cm, stiffly papery, both surfaces densely strigose, secondary veins 2 on each side of midvein, base cordate to obtuse, margin entire and ciliate, apex acuminate. Inflorescences terminal, a panicle of cymes, 5-8 cm or longer; bracts leaflike. Bracteoles 2, broadly ovate, ca. 1.3 cm, abaxially midvein strigose and sericeous, adaxially glabrous, margin ciliate. Hypanthium ca. 2 cm, pectinate setose-tuberculate and among calyx lobes, base clasped by bracteoles. Calyx lobes 5, long ovate, as long as hypanthium, both surfaces glabrous, margin ciliate, apex acuminate. Petals 5, pink, white, or rarely purple, obovate, 1.5-2.5 cm, oblique, margin ciliate, apex rounded but apiculate. Stamens 10, inclined to one side; filaments as long as anthers; anthers beaked; connective slightly inflated, orbiculate, shortly spurred. Ovary ovoid-globose, 5-celled, apically densely strigose, apex with a setose ring. Capsule ovoid-globose, ca. 8 × 6 mm, apically densely strigose; hypanthium urceolate, ca. 8 mm, densely pectinate setose-tuberculate. Fl. Aug-Oct, fr. Sep-Dec.
More
A shrub. It grows to about 2 m high. The leaves do not have a leaf stalk. The leaves are 2.8-12 cm long. They are sword shaped but wider at the base. They are hairy on both surfaces. The flowers are purple. They occur in flat topped flower arrangements where the outer flowers open first. The fruit is a capsule. It is oval and 8 mm long by 6 mm wide.
Life form perennial
Growth form shrub
Growth support -
Foliage retention deciduous
Sexuality hermaphrodite
Pollination -
Spread -
Mature width (meter) -
Mature height (meter) 2.0
Root system -
Rooting depth (meter) -
Root diameter (meter) -
Flower color
Blooming months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Fruit color -
Fruiting months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway -

Environment

It is a subtropical plant. In Nepal they grow between 500-2300 m altitude. They grow in damp places. In Yunnan.
Light -
Soil humidity -
Soil texture 7-8
Soil acidity -
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) 7-12

Usage

The ripe fruit are eaten fresh. The leaves are used as a vegetable.
Uses medicinal
Edible fruits leaves
Therapeutic use Sore (unspecified)
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

Plants are grown from seed.
Mode seedlings
Germination duration (days) -
Germination temperacture (C°) -
Germination luminosity -
Germination treatment -
Minimum temperature (C°) -
Optimum temperature (C°) -
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Distribution

Osbeckia nepalensis world distribution map, present in Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Myanmar, Malaysia, Nepal, Thailand, and Viet Nam

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:574126-1
WFO ID wfo-0001083292
COL ID 6SYPG
BDTFX ID -
INPN ID -
Wikipedia (EN)
Wikipedia (FR)

Synonyms

Melastoma napalense Osbeckia chulesis Melastoma chulese Osbeckia nepalensis Osbeckia nepalensis var. nepalensis

Lower taxons

Osbeckia nepalensis var. poilanei Osbeckia nepalensis var. albiflora