Melastomataceae are an easily recognizable family because of their usually opposite leaves with characteristic acrodromous leaf venation, flowers with a well-developed hypanthium, and geniculate, porose, often colorful anthers that frequently have connective appendages. The family has a mostly tropical distribution with 69 % of the species found in the New World, 5 % in continental Africa, 5 % in Madagascar, and 21 % in Asia and northern Australia (Renner, 1993). Melastomataceae comprise close to 5000 species in 150-166 genera, making it one of the ten largest families of flowering plants (Renner, 1993).
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