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Melastomataceae: Global Diversity, Distribution, and Endemism

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Systematics, Evolution, and Ecology of Melastomataceae

Abstract

The Melastomataceae, with some 5858 species, are among the 10 largest families of flowering plants. Melastomes are subcosmopolitan and mainly distributed in the tropics and subtropics, with a majority of the species in the Neotropics. The family consists of 173 genera, and, as currently understood, it is divided into 3 clades (subfamilies): the Kibessioideae (15 species), the Olisbeoideae (556 species), and the Melastomatoideae (5287 species) with the majority of the species grouped into 21 tribes. About 64% of the species occur in the Americas, 25% in Asia and Oceania, 5.5% in Madagascar, and 5.5% in Africa, without any genus native to both the New World and Old World. The family is an important component of tropical ecosystems, especially humid forests, and occurs from sea level to high mountain elevations. Although it occurs in seasonally dry habitats, it does not occur in true desert environments. Members of the Melastomataceae are mostly herbs and shrubs, but there are also climbing lianas, epiphytes, hemiepiphytes, and small-to-emergent trees. In this chapter, we combine our expertise and research to present an overview of the worldwide taxonomic diversity of the Melastomataceae, including the number of genera and species, geographical distribution, and the main centers of species richness.

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Acknowledgments

Liz Gjieli (NY) prepared the maps. Marcelo Reginato assisted with the species checklist. We thank W. Judd, L. Majure, and an anonymous reviewer for their comments. We also thank Roy E. Gereau and Lou Jost for permission to use their photographs.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO, USA

    Carmen Ulloa Ulloa

  2. Department of Botany, Institute for Biodiversity Science and Sustainability, California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, CA, USA

    Frank Almeda

  3. Departamento de Botânica, Centro Politécnico, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba, PR, Brazil

    Renato Goldenberg

  4. Systematik, Biodiversität & Evolution der Pflanzen, Ludwig-Maximilians Universität München, München, Germany

    Gudrun Kadereit

  5. Botanische Staatssammlung München, Staatliche Naturwissenschaftlichen Sammlungen Bayerns (SNSB), Botanischer Garten München-Nymphenburg, München, Germany

    Gudrun Kadereit

  6. Institute of Systematic Botany, The New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, NY, USA

    Fabián A. Michelangeli

  7. Department of Biology and Marine Biology, University of North Carolina Wilmington, Wilmington, NC, USA

    Darin S. Penneys

  8. School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa

    Darin S. Penneys

  9. School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa

    R. Douglas Stone

  10. Systematik, Biodiversität und Evolution der Pflanzen, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, München, Germany

    Marie Claire Veranso-Libalah

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Correspondence to Carmen Ulloa Ulloa .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Botânica Centro Politécnico, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil

    Renato Goldenberg

  2. Institute of Systematic Botany, The New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, NY, USA

    Fabián A. Michelangeli

  3. Department of Botany, Institute for Biodiversity Science and Sustainability, California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, CA, USA

    Frank Almeda

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Ulloa Ulloa, C. et al. (2022). Melastomataceae: Global Diversity, Distribution, and Endemism. In: Goldenberg, R., Michelangeli, F.A., Almeda, F. (eds) Systematics, Evolution, and Ecology of Melastomataceae. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-99742-7_1

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