Chassalia umbraticola Vatke

Rubiaceae, B. Verdcourt. Flora Zambesiaca 5:1. 1989

Morphology General Habit

Shrub or more rarely a small subshrubby herb, 0.12–4.5 m. tall, rarely stated to be slightly scandent; older stems pale greyish and glabrous, younger glabrous or papillate-pubescent.

Morphology Leaves

Leaf blades 3–16 x 1.35–6.3 cm., elliptic, acute or slightly acuminate at the apex but distinctly less so than in other species, cuneate at the base, the blade ± decurrent so that the petiole length is not clear cut, ± discolorous when dry, the margins revolute, glabrous; petioles 0.5–2(2.5) cm. long, usually short and the lower ones distinctly shorter than in related species; stipules broad, 1–1.5 mm. long, undivided, with fine marginal hairs and longer hairs within, sometimes becoming corky.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Flowers sweet-scented, in terminal branched inflorescences, the ultimate components 3-several-flowered clusters; inflorescence-components white, tinged purple; peduncles 0.5–2.5(4) cm. long; secondary peduncles 0.3–1.3 cm. long; pedicels actually absent or very short but in reduced inflorescences may appear 1.5–4 mm.; all parts usually finely papillate-puberulous or rarely glabrous; bracts small, but sometimes part of the inflorescence is subtended by a pair of reduced leaves.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Calyx cream with purple upper margin; tube 1.2–2 mm. long, oblong-ovoid, finely papillate-puberulous or rarely glabrous, slightly ribbed; limb tube 0.2–0.5 mm. long; lobes 6.1–0.5 mm long, triangular.

Morphology General Buds

Buds distinctly winged in limb portion.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Corolla cream or white, often tinged purple sometimes at the base of the tube and tips of the lobes, glabrous or finely puberulous; tube 1.5–2 cm. long; lobes 5–7 x 1–2.5 mm., linear-oblong, conspicuously winged, the wings decurrent on the tube, the venation often curiously raised and prominent in dry material, particularly if flowers were picked in a fading state.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens

Filaments with anthers just completely exserted in short-styled flowers; anthers with rips 3 mm. below the throat in long-styled flowers.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Style

Style 10 mm. long in short-styled flowers, with stigma lobes linear, 3 mm. long, flattened, just included; c. 1.6–1.7 cm. in long-styled flowers, with stigma lobes linear, c. 3 mm. long, flattened.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Fruits black, subglobose or rounded-ovoid, ± compressed, 4–5(7) mm. long and wide, ribbed, mostly distinctly densely rugulose in the dry state; disk ± persistent; pyrenes pale, 4–5 x 3.8–5 x 1.8–2.5 mm. half-ovoid, vaguely tuberculate to densely covered with pointed rugae.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds concavo-convex, basin-shaped.

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation

Predicted extinction risk: not threatened. Confidence: confident