Melastoma candidum var. candidum ("Nobotan")

Japanese name: ノボタン （野牡丹）
Scientific name: Melastoma candidum var. candidum

[Overview]
An evergreen shrub 1–1.5 m tall, growing in dry grasslands and at forest edges.
The whole plant is densely covered with rather soft bristly hairs.
The branches have 4 ridges and are square in cross section.
The leaves are simple and opposite, ovate to oblong, 5–14 cm long and 2–7 cm wide, with sharply pointed tips and 3–7 conspicuous veins.
The leaf margin is entire.
The flowers are borne in cymes at the branch tips or singly; they are reddish purple and 5-petaled, rarely 4-petaled, about 6 cm across, and white flowers are occasionally found.
There are 10 stamens, divided into long and short groups of 5 each.
The fruit is a spherical, somewhat fleshy berry about 1.3 cm long, with the scar of the calyx remaining on top like a crown.

[Uses]
It is used medicinally.
The ripe fruit is sweet and edible.

[Cultivation]
Propagate from seed or by cuttings; cuttings can be taken at any time during the hot season and root easily.
From the Kansai region southward, if protected from frost, the above-ground parts die back but sprout again the next spring, so it can be grown outdoors.
In cold regions, grow it in a pot and bring it indoors to a sunny spot.
It prefers acidic soil in a sunny, well-drained site.
Avoid places exposed to strong afternoon sun.
Take care not to let it run short of water; for potted plants, water thoroughly when the soil surface dries, and for plants in the ground, rainfall is sufficient unless summer brings a spell of sunny weather and dryness.
Apply slow-release chemical fertilizer on the soil from spring to autumn.
The branches grow easily, so cut them back after flowering to tidy the shape.
Increasing the number of branches increases the number of flowers from the following year on.
There are no particular pests or diseases, but scale insects may occur.

View this page in Japanese (日本語)