Soapbush
Clidemia hirta
Also known as Koster's Curse
- Habit
- Shrub
- Native to
- South America
- Flowering
- December-March
How to identify Soapbush
Identify Soapbush by combining habit, leaf characters, flower or fruit details, location, and its family pattern. Do not rely on one feature alone.
- Look for a shrub habit.
- Check the distinctive field mark: Invasive hairy shrub with hairy berries (Koster's curse).
- Confirm leaf type: Simple.
- Confirm leaf margin: Toothed.
- Confirm flower colour: White.
- Confirm fruit type: Berry.
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: December-March.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Clidemia hirta
- Genus
- Clidemia
- Family
- Melastomataceae
- Habit
- Shrub
- Habitat
- Degraded forest areas
- Habitat type
- Forest
- Native to
- South America
- Distribution
- Naturalized in Paleotropics
- Flowering & fruiting
- December-March
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
- Leaf type
- SimplerecordedA single, undivided leaf blade.“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.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Leaf margin
- ToothedrecordedA saw-like or jagged edge (serrate or dentate).“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.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Leaf surface
- PubescentrecordedCovered in short, soft hairs.“The leaves are also sparsely covered in hairs above, while more densely hairy beneath;” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Typical of the family
- Arrangement
- Opposite
Characters marked “recorded” are for Soapbush itself; the rest are typical of the Melastomataceae family.
Flower & fruit characters
- Flower colour
- Whiterecorded
- Fruit type
- BerryrecordedA fleshy fruit with seeds embedded directly in the pulp, no central stone.“The small, rounded fruit are berries and are either dark blue, purplish or blackish in color.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Typical of the family
- Inflorescence
- Cyme
- Fruit
- Berry
Characters marked “recorded” are for Soapbush itself; the rest are typical of the Melastomataceae family — flowering plants only.
Local Names
- Malayalam
- സോപ്പ് ബുഷ്
About Soapbush
A member of the Melastomataceae family, Soapbush (Clidemia hirta) is a shrub. It is native to South America. It grows in degraded forest areas. Flowering and fruiting run from December to March.
Melastomataceae
Melastome family
Soapbush belongs to the Melastomataceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
Explore the Melastomataceae familySnap it. Know it.
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Common plant problems
If you are starting from symptoms instead of a diagnosis, use the plant disease symptom checker to narrow the cause before treating.
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