During the past few years, papers based on multi-gene cladistic analyses have been published by S.S. Renner, G. Clausing, and K. Meyer. As a result of these investigations, certain aspects of the classifications in the table below have been supported, while others have been refuted. The cladogram illustrates hypotheses of relationships between the major groups of melastomes and their distributions (New World or Old World).
To date, roughly 15% of melastome species have been sequenced, many genera are dubiously circumscribed, and there remains much work to be done before we have a well resolved, highly supported phylogeny for the family. Large-scale molecular phylogenetic investigations are currently being conducted by Darin S. Penneys (family level) and Fabian A. Michelangeli (mainly Miconieae, a tribe with ca. 1800 species).




Cladogram above used with permission from: Clausing, G., and S.S. Renner. 2001. Molecular phylogenetics of Melastomataceae and Memecylaceae: implications for character evolution. American Journal of Botany 88(3): 486-498.


This table summarizes the major taxa that have been recognized in five systems of classification of the Melastomataceae. The order has been changed from the original systems so that the similarities are more apparent.