Appearance & recognition
Senduduk is a shrub with opposite bristly leaves showing strong lengthwise veins. Pink-purple flowers have conspicuous stamens. Ripe fruits open to reveal dark pulp and many small seeds; the pulp can stain the tongue blue-black. These features make it a recognisable plant of open ground rather than a large closed-canopy forest tree.
Sources & references · 1
National Parks Board Singapore · Melastoma malabathricum — Flora & Fauna WebWhat research tells us
Bees pollinate the flowers and animals eat the fruit in disturbed and secondary vegetation. Regional sources also describe traditional medicinal uses, while much extract research remains laboratory or animal work. Those evidence types should stay separate: a colourful edible pulp or a traditional leaf preparation does not establish a treatment for human disease.
