Pavetta L.

Rubiaceae, B. Verdcourt. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1976

Morphology General Habit

Shrubs or small trees, occasionally suffrutices

Morphology Leaves

Leaves opposite, occasionally ternate, sessile or petiolate; blades with bacterial nodules usually present and domatia sometimes present in the axils of the nerves beneath; stipules, with a triangular to truncate limb, connate at base or up to the entire length, bearing a subulate arista or less often a short mucro, sometimes with silky hairs within

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Flowers (1–)few–many, borne in sessile to subsessile corymbs, terminal on main and lateral leafy branches or terminal on short leafless spurs or branches (which in the absence of corky bark can resemble axillary pedunculate corymbs), occasionally entirely suppressed giving the inflorescence an axillary appearance, very lax to capitate; bracts connate, stipule-like; bracteoles free, usually small, sometimes absent Flowers hermaphrodite, always 4-merous

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Calyx-tube turbinate to campanulate; limb persistent or deciduous, rarely accrescent; tube very short or long, often wider than the tube; lobes short to long, ovate (often overlapping) to triangular, lanceolate to subulate, occasionally absent

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Corolla white to creamy or greenish white, rarely red (P. canescens DC. from Angola and Zaire); tube cylindrical to funnel-shaped (but never greatly widened at the throat), throat bearded or pubescent to glabrous; lobes lanceolate, oblong or ovate, contorted in bud

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens

Stamens attached at the mouth of the tube, exserted and spreading or reflexed in mature flower; filaments very short; anthers dorsifixed near the base, linear to oblong, ± equalling the corolla-lobes in length, apiculate and sagittate, usually twisted when dehisced

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Disc

Disc annular, fleshy

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil

Ovary small, 2-locular (? very rarely 4-locular); placentas fleshy, pendulous from the apex of the septum; ovules solitary or rarely paired, immersed or partially immersed in the cup-like placenta; style long-exserted, slender, glabrous to subglabrous, sometimes the exserted portion pubescent, the upper part (pollen receptacle) thickened, club-shaped, with 8 shallow ribs, always shortly hairy; stigmatic surface confined to the bidentate apex

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Fruit a drupe, frequently black and shining, rarely white or coloured, spherical, slightly 2-lobed, scarcely fleshy, containing 1(–2) chartaceous pyrenes

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds 2 (or rarely 1 by abortion), attached to the centre of the septum, hemispherical with a wide circular excavation in the centre of the ventral face, convex dorsal face usually rugose; endosperm always entire and horny; embryo small, dorsal, curved.

M. Thulin et al. Flora of Somalia, Vol. 1-4 [updated 2008] https://plants.jstor.org/collection/FLOS

Morphology General Habit

Shrubs or small trees

Morphology Leaves

Leaves opposite or occasionally in whorls of 3; blades usually with bacterial nodules visible as blackish dots; stipules united at least at the base, apiculate

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Flowers 4-merous, in few- to many-flowered ± corymbose inflorescences, or solitary

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Calyx-lobes short to long, occasionally absent

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Corolla generally white to cream or greenish white; tube cylindrical to narrowly funnel-shaped; lobes contorted to the left in bud

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens Anthers

Anthers exserted

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Ovary

Ovary 2-celled, with 1 or rarely 2 ovules per cell on pendulous placentas; style exserted, the pollen presenter club-shaped, with a 2-lobed stigma at apex

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Fruit a subglobose drupe, with 1 or 2 stones.

Distribution

Some 360 species in the Old-World tropics.

Rubiaceae, D.M.Bridson & B.Verdcourt. Flora Zambesiaca 5:3. 2003

Morphology General Habit

Shrubs or small trees, occasionally subshrubs with woody underground stems.

Morphology Leaves

Leaves opposite, occasionally ternate, sessile or petiolate, sometimes those on inflorescence-supporting branches differ from those on the main stem or vegetative shoots, being smaller with shorter petioles or anisophyllous, sometimes shape may differ according to position of the branches (see note after P. gardeniifolia); blades sometimes with domatia present in the nerve axils beneath and usually with blackish dot-like elliptic or linear bacterial nodules scattered on the blade or arranged along the midrib; stipules with a triangular to truncate limb, connate at the base or for up to the entire length, bearing a subulate arista, less often a short mucro or a keeled lobe, sometimes with silky hairs within.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Inflorescences sessile or subsessile with (1)few–many flowers in a very lax to capitate corymbose arrangement, terminal on main and lateral leafy branches or on short leafless spurs or branches (which in the absence of corky bark can resemble axillary pedunculate corymbs), occasionally such inflorescence-supporting branches entirely suppressed giving the inflorescence an axillary appearance (TAB. 108); bracts connate, stipule-like; bracteoles free, usually small, sometimes absent.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Flowers hermaphrodite, always 4-merous.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Calyx tube turbinate to campanulate; limb persistent or deciduous, rarely accrescent; limb-tube very short or long, often wider than the tube; lobes short to long, ovate (often overlapping) to triangular, lanceolate to subulate, often separated by sinuses or occasionally absent (TAB. 109).

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Corolla white to cream-coloured or greenish-white, infrequently yellow or rarely red (P. canescens DC. from Angola and Dem. Rep. Congo); tube cylindrical to funnel-shaped (but never greatly widened at the throat), bearded or pubescent to glabrous in the throat; lobes lanceolate, oblong or ovate, contorted in bud.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens

Stamens attached at the mouth of the tube, exserted and spreading or reflexed in mature flower; filaments very short; anthers dorsifixed near the base, linear to oblong, ± equalling the corolla lobes in length, apiculate and sagittate, very often twisted when dehisced.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Disc

Disk annular, fleshy.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil

Ovary small, 2-locular (?very rarely 4-locular); placentas fleshy, pendulous from the upper part of the septum; ovules solitary or rarely paired, immersed or partially immersed in the cup-like arrangement of tissues; style long-exserted, slender, glabrous to subglabrous, sometimes the exserted portion pubescent, the upper part (pollen presenter) thickened, club-shaped, with 8 shallow ribs, always shortly hairy; stigmatic surface confined to the bidentate apex.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Fruit a drupe, frequently black and shiny, rarely white or coloured, spherical, slightly 2-lobed, scarcely fleshy, containing 1(2) chartaceous pyrenes.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds 2 (or rarely 1 by abortion), attached to the centre of the septum, hemispherical with a wide circular excavation in the centre of the ventral face, convex dorsal face usually rugulose; endosperm always entire and horny; embryo small, dorsal, curved.