Miconia crenata (syn. Clidemia hirta), commonly called Koster's curse, is a species of plant in the family Melastomataceae. It is a perennial shrub native to Central and South America, including the Caribbean, and it has been introduced to tropical parts of the Indian Ocean, Asia, Australia, and the Pacific Ocean. It is regarded as an invasive species in many of these regions.
Description
Miconia crenata is a densely branching perennial shrub normally growing 0.5–3 m tall, but sometimes growing 5 m tall, depending on habitat.
The branchlets are covered in large, stiff, brown or reddish-colored hair. The simple leaves are oppositely arranged, oval-shaped in outline with a broad base, pointed tips, and almost entire to crenate or finely toothed margins. The leaves are also sparsely covered in hairs above, while more densely hairy beneath; and also have five distinct veins that run in an almost parallel fashion from the leaf bases to their tips.
The flowers are arranged in small clusters at the tips of the branches. Each flower has five white, or occasionally pale pinkish, petals and five distinctive stamens that have a claw-like appearance. The base of the flower is swollen into a cup-shaped structure which is moderately to sparsely covered with a mixture of bristly and sticky hairs.
The small, rounded fruit are berries and are either dark blue, purplish or blackish in color. Each of these berries contains over 100 light brown colored seeds.
Distribution and habitat
Native from tropical areas in the Americas (Mexico to Paraguay as well as the Caribbean region). This species grows in dry to wet tropical climates up to 1200 m of elevation.
