Blastus is a genus of flowering shrubs in the family Melastomataceae, placed in the order Myrtales. It was described by the Portuguese botanist João de Loureiro and published in Flora Cochinchinensis in 1790, making it one of the earliest described genera of Melastomataceae from Southeast Asia.
The genus encompasses roughly 15–25 accepted species. Members of Blastus are typically small shrubs or subshrubs characteristic of the Melastomataceae family, which is broadly recognised by its distinctive leaves with several strongly arching primary veins running parallel from the base toward the apex — a feature shared across the family. The Melastomataceae is one of the largest flowering plant families in the tropics, and Blastus represents its diversity in East and Southeast Asia.
The genus is distributed across East Asia and Southeast Asia, with species occurring in Japan, China, Indo-China (Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia), and western Malesia (including Borneo). Notable species include Blastus cochinchinensis Lour., the type species described from Cochinchina (southern Vietnam/southern China region), as well as Blastus mollissimus H.L.Li and Blastus tsaii H.L.Li, both described by Hui-Lin Li.
Etymology
The genus name Blastus is derived from the Greek blastos (βλαστός), meaning "sprout" or "shoot," reflecting the vegetative growth habit of these shrubby plants. The genus was established by João de Loureiro in his 1790 Flora Cochinchinensis.
Distribution
Blastus is native to East and Southeast Asia. Species are recorded from Japan, China (where several species are endemic), Indo-China (Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia), and western Malesia including Borneo.
