Chassalia cristata (Hiern) Bremek.

Rubiaceae, F. N. Hepper & R. W. J. Keay. Flora of West Tropical Africa 2. 1963

Morphology General Habit

A shrub up to 10 ft. high

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Flowers white

Ecology

In forest.

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

Morphology General Habit

Scandent shrub or woody twiner (0.9–)1.2–6 m. tall; very young parts of stems with very short but sometimes ± dense and ferruginous scurfy pubescence, but soon quite glabrous and slightly ridged or ± smooth.

Morphology Leaves

Leaf-blades oblong, elliptic, elliptic-oblong or somewhat ovate, 4.5–15(–18) cm. long, 1.2–6.5(–8.8) cm. wide, very distinctly narrowly acuminate at the apex, cuneate at the base, glabrous, the lateral nerves narrowly prominent beneath, the margins narrowly revolute; petiole 0.5–1.8(–4) cm. long; stipules hairy and with colleters inside, base ± semicircular, 3.5 mm. long with 2 linear lobes ± 0.5 mm. long, ± persistent on the flowering shoots.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Flowers in dense many-flowered terminal sweet-scented cymes, and often with accessory lateral cymes from the axils of the first pair of leaves, altogether 3–7.5 cm. wide; peduncles purple or pinkish white, 1–2.2 cm. long, pubescent; pedicels obsolete; bracts and bracteoles small, with erose or ciliate margins.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Calyx greenish white or tinged or dotted with purple; tube ovoid, ± 1 mm. long, glabrous or rarely pubescent; limb-tube ± 0.2–0.8 mm. long; teeth pinkish, small, broadly triangular, ± 0.2–0.5 mm. long.

Morphology General Buds

Buds glabrous outside, of characteristic shape due to the keeling of the lobes, the tips held at ± right-angles to the tube and giving a star-like appearance in plan view.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Corolla ± fleshy, pink, white, purplish or white with purple streaks at the base, often described as white inside with a yellow ring at the throat; tube 0.5–1 cm. long, sometimes curved, the veins rather prominent at the apex; lobes white or yellowish, often tipped with pink, triangular-oblong, 2 mm. long, 1.9 mm. wide, the upper half thickened inside, longitudinally keeled outside and with a terminal lateral appendage.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens

Stamens with anthers half exserted in short-styled forms, just included in the tube in long-styled forms.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil

Style 4.5 mm. long in short-styled forms, 8.5 mm. long in long-styled forms; stigma-lobes 2–3 mm. long.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Disc

Disc conspicuous, cylindrical, ± 1 mm. long.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Drupes shining black or purple, subglobose, 5 mm. long, 6 mm. wide, grooved longitudinally round the middle, each lobe ribbed longitudinally at the middle of the base; pyrenes pale, semi-globose, 4–5 mm. long, 4.5–6.5 mm. wide, 2.6 mm. thick.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds reddish brown, semiglobose, 3.5–5 mm. tall, 4–6 mm. wide, 2–3.5 mm. thick, slightly rugulose, flattened ventrally and with a deep excavation so that this side of the seed appears horseshoe-shaped or almost annular.

Habitat

Forest, particularly fringing forest and derived thickets, sometimes in grassland with scattered trees; (990–)1050–1650 m.

Distribution

K5 T1 T4 U2 U4