Miconia is a genus of flowering plants in the glory bush family, Melastomataceae, native to warm temperate to tropical regions of the Americas. The species are mostly shrubs and small to medium-sized trees up to 15 m tall. The generic name honours Catalan physician and botanist Francesc Micó. Some species are known by the common name johnnyberry. Many species are threatened by habitat destruction in their native range, and some are feared to be on the brink of extinction. On the other hand, M. calvescens is a contributing factor in the decline and maybe even extinction of other plants: it has become a highly invasive weed on a number of Pacific Islands where it was introduced, including Hawaii and Tahiti. It is often referred to as the "purple plague" or the "green cancer" in reference to its habit of overgrowing native ecosystems, and its leaves which are bright green above and bright purple below. Miconia fruit are a favorite food of many birds (invasive M. calvescens spreads by this route). The leaves of some species are eaten by caterpillars of the moth-butterflies (Hedylidae). Species As of 2020, genus Miconia comprised over 1200 species with new species occasionally being discovered, among them are: Miconia abbreviata Miconia acuminata Miconia acutifolia Miconia aequatorialis Miconia albicans Miconia aligera Miconia alpina Miconia altissima Miconia argyrea Miconia ascendens Miconia asplundii Miconia aspratilis Miconia augustii Miconia ayacuchensis Miconia bailloniana Miconia barbipilis Miconia barclayana Miconia beneolens Miconia benoistii Miconia bipatrialis Miconia bolivarensis Miconia bracteolata Miconia brasiliensis Miconia brevistylis Miconia brevitheca Miconia brunnea Miconia budlejoides Miconia caelata Miconia caesariata Miconia cabucu Miconia cajanumana Miconia calignosa Miconia calophylla Miconia calvescens Miconia campii Miconia candolleana Miconia capitellata Miconia castillensis Miconia castrensis Miconia cava Miconia centrosperma Miconia ceramicarpa Miconia cercophora Miconia chamissois Miconia chartacea Miconia ciliata Miconia cinerascens Miconia cinnamomifolia Miconia collayensis Miconia conformis Miconia corazonica Miconia cosangensis Miconia crebribullata Miconia crenata Miconia cuprea Miconia cutucuensis Miconia dapsiliflora Miconia demissifolia Miconia depauperata Miconia dichroa Miconia dielsii Miconia dissimulans Miconia divaricata Miconia dodsonii Miconia doriana Miconia espinosae Miconia explicita Miconia fallax Miconia fasciculata Miconia floccosa Miconia florbella Miconia formosa Miconia fosbergii Miconia fuliginosa Miconia gibba Miconia gilva Miconia glandulistyla Miconia glazioviana Miconia glyptophylla Miconia gonioclada Miconia grayana Miconia griffisii Miconia guayaquilensis Miconia hexamera Miconia hirsutivena Miconia holosericea Miconia huigrensis Miconia hylophila Miconia idiogena Miconia imitans Miconia inanis Miconia innata Miconia jorgensenii Miconia jucunda Miconia lacera Miconia lachnoclada Miconia langsdorffii Miconia latecrenata Miconia laxa