Rubiaceae
Pavetta

Pavetta gerstneri Bremek.

First published in Kew Bull. 8: 501 (1953 publ. 1954)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Tanzania (Zanzibar), Mozambique to KwaZulu-Natal. It is a shrub and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

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

Morphology General Habit
Shrub or small tree 1.8–3 m tall; young branches glabrous or pubescent, older branches with greyish-buff bark.
Morphology Leaves
Leaf blades 2.3–10.5 × 0.8–3(4.4) cm, oblanceolate, narrowly obovate or elliptic, obtuse or acute to subacuminate and mucronulate at the apex, cuneate at the base, subcoriaceous, glabrous on both surfaces or sometimes sparsely pubescent especially on the nerves beneath, occasionally revolute; lateral nerves in 4 main pairs; domatia absent; bacterial nodules dot-like to linear, along the midrib and lateral nerves and scattered; petiole 0.5–1.3(2) cm long, glabrous or sparsely pubescent; stipule limbs brownish, subtruncate, 1.5–2 mm long, sparsely pubescent or glabrous outside; arista up to 1.5 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence-supporting branches short, 2–8 cm long, slender, bearing 1–4 pairs of leaves near the apex or well spaced; occasionally inflorescences borne on the main branches. Inflorescences subumbellate, ± compact, 1.5–3 cm across (excluding corollas); primary inflorescence branches 1–6 mm long, glabrous or pubescent; secondary branches present or absent; pedicels 3–6 mm long, glabrous or pubescent; bracts 2–5 mm long, papery with silky hairs inside; bracteoles minute.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx tube 0.75–1 mm long, glabrous to sparsely pubescent; limb-tube 0.25(1) mm long; lobes (1.5)2–2.25(3) × 0.5–1 mm, usually lanceolate-linear, lanceolate or sometimes narrowly triangular, acuminate, glabrous, ciliate or sparsely pubescent, reflexing in young fruit.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Corolla tube 0.9–1.1 cm long, 1–1.25 mm wide at the top, glabrous outside, not bearded at the throat; lobes 3–4.5 × 1.25–1.75 mm, narrowly oblong to oblong, acuminate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit black, 6–8 mm in diameter, shiny, the calyx limb persistent.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seed blackish, 4.5 mm wide, very finely rugulose on convex face.
[FZ]

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

Morphology General Habit
Shrub or small tree 1.8–3 m. tall; young branches glabrous or pubescent, older branches with greyish buff bark.
Morphology Leaves
Leaf-blades oblanceolate, narrowly obovate or elliptic, 2.3–10.5 cm. long, 0.8–3(–4.4) cm. wide, apex obtuse or acute to subacuminate, mucronulate, base cuneate, subcoriaceous, glabrous on both faces or sometimes sparsely pubescent especially on the nerves beneath, occasionally revolute; bacterial nodules dot-like to linear, scattered and along the midrib and lateral nerves; petiole 0.5–1.3(–2) cm. long, glabrous or sparsely pubescent; stipule-limbs brownish, subtruncate, 1.5–2 mm. long, sparsely pubescent or glabrous outside; arista up to 1.5 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Corymbs borne on short slender lateral branches 2–8(–10.5) cm. long bearing 1–4 pairs of leaves near apex or well spaced or occasionally on main branches, subumbellate, ± compact, 1.5–3 cm. across; primary inflorescence branches 1–6 mm. long, glabrous or pubescent; secondary branches present or absent; pedicels 3–6 mm. long, glabrous or pubescent; bracts 2–5 mm. long, papery with silky hairs inside; bracteoles minute.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx-tube 0.75–1 mm. long, glabrous to sparsely pubescent; limb-tube 0.25(–1) mm. long; lobes usually lanceolate-linear, lanceolate or sometimes narrowly triangular, (1.5–)2–2.25(–3) mm. long, 0.5–1 mm. wide, acuminate, glabrous, ciliate or sparsely pubescent, reflexing in young fruit.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Corolla-tube 0.9–1.1 cm. long, 1–1.25 mm. wide at top, glabrous outside, not bearded at throat; lobes ± oblong, 3–4.5 mm. long, 1.25–1.75 mm. wide, acuminate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit black, 6–7 mm. in diameter, shiny, the calyx-limb persistent.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seed blackish, 4.5 mm. wide, very finely rugulose on convex face.
Habitat
Not recorded
Distribution
Z
[FTEA]

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: threatened. Confidence: low confidence
[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

  • 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/

  • 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