Pavetta comostyla S.Moore

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

Morphology General Habit

Shrub or small tree, sometimes scrambling, 1.8–4 m tall; young branches glabrous to glabrescent; older branches covered with light brown to buff bark.

Morphology Leaves

Leaf blades thinly papery to papery, usually drying blue-black, 6.5–17.5 × 2.3–7.8 cm, elliptic, broadly elliptic or obovate, acuminate at the apex, cuneate, attenuate or truncate then attenuate at the base, glabrous to sparsely pubescent above and beneath; lateral nerves in 8–10 main pairs often drying blue-black; bacterial nodules dot-like to elliptic along the nerves and with a few scattered; domatia absent; petioles frequently drying blackish, (0.7)1–2 cm long, glabrous to glabrescent; stipules on mature branches 3.5–5 mm long including apiculum, broadly triangular or when near apex 0.5–1 cm long, deltoid acuminate, pubescent or glabrous outside, with silky hairs inside.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Inflorescence-supporting branches 6.2–17 cm long, bearing 1–3 pairs of often anisophyllous leaves at the apex. Inflorescences compact to moderately lax, 2–6 cm across (excluding corollas), typically congested, rarely few-flowered; primary inflorescence branches up to 1.4 cm long, glabrous or pubescent; secondary and tertiary branches present or absent; pedicels 1.5–6 mm long, glabrous or pubescent; bracts 4–6 mm long, membranous or somewhat chaffy, (1)2–3 pairs overlapping and surrounding the base of the inflorescence, with silky hairs inside.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Flowers sweet-scented.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Calyx glabrous or pubescent; tube usually drying blackish, 1–1.5 mm long; limb-tube 0.5–1 mm long; lobes linear to narrowly triangular, 0.4–1.1 cm long, 0.25–1(1.25) mm wide, glabrous or pubescent.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Corolla tube 1.1–2 cm long, 1.5–2 mm wide at the top, glabrous outside, not bearded at the throat; lobes 5–8(10) × 1.5–2.5 mm, oblong, apex acuminate, often thickened and greenish or dark when dry.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Fruit black, 7–9 mm in diameter, glabrous to glabrescent; calyx limb persistent.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Mature seeds not seen.

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