Rubiaceae
Pavetta

Pavetta crassipes K.Schum.

First published in H.G.A.Engler, Pflanzenw. Ost-Afrikas, C: 389 (1895)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Tropical Africa. It is a shrub or tree and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

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

Morphology General Habit
Shrub or small tree 1–8 m. tall; young branches glabrous, stout, angled; older branches covered with thin greyish, buff or rarely blackish cracking bark.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves usually clustered near the apices of the branches, paired, or occasionally ternate or quadrate, glabrous; blades linear to narrowly elongate-oblong or oblanceolate, 8–30 cm. long, 1.3–7.5 cm. wide, apex rounded or sometimes obtuse, base obtuse to attenuate; midrib straw-coloured, prominent beneath; bacterial nodules dot-shaped to linear, few to many or absent (in West African specimens); petiole short, up to 1.5 cm. long; stipule-limbs truncate, 2–6 mm. long, shortly acuminate, glabrous outside.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Corymbs terminal on short leafless lateral branches 0.6–15.5 cm. long, crowded, (3–)7.5–17 cm. across; peduncles 0–7 mm. long; primary inflorescence-branches 0.6–3.3 cm. long, glabrous; secondary to quaternary branches present; pedicels 1.8–7 mm. long, glabrous; bracts 5–8 mm. long, usually slightly corky, caducous; bracteoles ± membranous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx glabrous; tube 1–1.5 mm. long; limb-tube 1–1.75 (–2) mm. long, ± twice as broad as the tube, truncate or undulate to slightly dentate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Corolla-tube 0.8–1.5 cm. long, 1.5–2 mm. wide at top, glabrous outside, with few hairs within; lobes oblong, 4–6 mm. long, 1.5–2.5 mm. wide, obtuse to rounded.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit black, shiny, 6–8 mm. in diameter; pedicels slightly accrescent; calyx-limb persistent.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds greyish-brown, 5–5.5 mm. wide, slightly rugulose on convex face.
Figures
Fig. 106/8.
Habitat
Wooded grassland, Combretum or Brachystegia woodland or sometimes forest edge; 360–2000 m.
Distribution
K4 K4/K6 K5 T1 T4 T6 T7 T8 U1 U2 U3 U4 throughout W. Africa, Cameroun, Zaire, Burundi, Sudan, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Malawi and Zambia
[FTEA]

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

Morphology General Habit
A glabrous shrub with stout squarish branchlets covered
Morphology General Bark
Pale corky bark which splits and falls off
Morphology Leaves
Leaves often in threes
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers greenish-white
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruits black
Ecology
In savanna.
[FWTA]

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/146221264/146221266

Conservation
LC - least concern
[IUCN]

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

Morphology General Habit
Shrub or small tree 1–8 m tall; young branches glabrous, stout, angled; older branches covered with thin greyish, buff or rarely blackish cracking bark.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves usually clustered near the apices of the branches, paired, or occasionally ternate or quadrate, glabrous; blades 8–30 × 1.3–7.5 cm, linear to narrowly elongate-oblong or oblanceolate, rounded or sometimes obtuse at the apex, obtuse to attenuate at the base; midrib straw- coloured, prominent beneath; lateral nerves in 8–11 main pairs; domatia absent; bacterial nodules dot-like to linear, few to many or absent (in West African specimens); petiole short, up to 1.5 cm long; stipule limbs truncate, 2–6 mm long, shortly acuminate, glabrous outside.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence-supporting branches 0.6–15.5 cm long, leafless but with 1–2 nodes, stout. Inflorescences corymbose, crowded, (3)7.5–17 cm across (excluding corollas); peduncles 0–7 mm long; primary inflorescence branches 0.6–3.3 cm long, glabrous; second- to fourth-order branches present; pedicels 1.8–7 mm long, glabrous; bracts 5–8 mm long, usually slightly corky, caducous; bracteoles ± membranous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx glabrous; tube 1–1.5 mm long; limb-tube 1–1.75(2) mm long, ± twice as broad as the tube, truncate or undulate to slightly dentate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Corolla tube 0.8–1.5 cm long, 1.5–2 mm wide at the top, glabrous outside, with few hairs within; lobes 4–6 × 1.5–2.5 mm, oblong, obtuse to rounded.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit black, shiny, 6–8 mm in diameter; pedicels slightly accrescent; calyx limb persistent.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds greyish-brown, 5–5.5 mm wide, slightly rugulose on convex face.
[FZ]

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
[AERP]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

  • Flora Zambesiaca

    • Flora Zambesiaca
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of Tropical East Africa

    • Flora of Tropical East Africa
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of West Tropical Africa

    • Flora of West Tropical Africa
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • 'The Herbarium Catalogue, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet http://www.kew.org/herbcat [accessed on Day Month Year]'. Please enter the date on which you consulted the system.
    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • IUCN Categories

    • IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2025. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2025. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0