Singapore Rhododendron

Common name for a flowering plant in the family Melastomataceae, with the botanical term Melastoma malabathricum and also commonly known as Malabar Melastome and Indian Rhododendron. It is found across Southeast Asia, as well as in India, Nepal, southern China and Japan, usually in grasslands and sparse forests of hilly or mountainous areas, typically at elevations of between 100 and 2,800 meters high and often occurring as weeds. This shrub grows up to 6 meters tall, has dark reddish brown stems, strong opposite triple-veined leaves, and bears purplish pink flowers. In Vietnam, it is called mua đa hùng and is found abundantly on the steep slopes of the Border Belt, i.e. a mountainous road South of the border of China's Yunnan Province and the northern Vietnamese Province of Lào Cai, especially between the Red River and the village of Y Tý. In Thai, this species is known as khlohng khlaeng khi nok (โคลงเคลงขี้นก). See also Singapore. 回