Thinking of Melastomataceae: Revisiting Humboldt and Bonpland's Monographie des Melastomacées (1806–1823) from a historical perspective

During their voyage to the Americas (1799–1804), Alexander von Humboldt and Aimé Bonpland described and collected American flora, fauna, minerals and other objects. After returning to Europe, they published several works, including Monographie des Melastomacées , initiated by Bonpland to classify this complex botanical family. Published in booklets between 1806 and 1823, the project faced delays, and Kunth ultimately completed the work, which included contributions from Louis Claude Richard and specimens collected by Auguste de Saint‐Hilaire. The two‐volume book classified species (many of them described for the first time) into Melastoma and Rhexia , providing botanical features, collection localities, and traditional uses. This study revisits Monographie des Melastomacées to update botanical names, synonyms, and collection localities by analyzing digitized books, Bonpland's “Journal Botanique”, and correspondence between Humboldt and Bonpland. Of the 119 species included, 111 are tabulated after updating the names (57 Melastoma , 54 Rhexia ). Most species were collected in Colombia (24), the Antilles (21), and Brazil (19). This work revisits taxonomic and historical information, emphasizing the historical value of Monographie des Melastomacées and its relevance to contemporary studies on Melastomataceae.