Rubiaceae
Pavetta

Pavetta subumbellata Bremek.

First published in Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. 37: 176 (1934)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is S. Tanzania to Zambia. It is a scrambling shrub or tree 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, 1.5–7(9) m tall, often scandent; young branches glabrous, usually drying black; older branches covered with buff to brown, scarcely flaking bark.
Morphology Leaves
Leaf blades drying greenish or blue- black, 3.7–9.5 × 1.5–4.7 cm, narrowly obovate to obovate, less often elliptic, lanceolate-elliptic or rarely round, with the apex rounded, obtuse, acute or slightly acuminate, and the base cuneate or rarely ± truncate, papery, dull, glabrous or with a few hairs on midrib above, sparsely pubescent to glabrous beneath; lateral nerves in 6–8 main pairs; domatia absent; bacterial nodules dot-like to elliptic, large, scattered but usually absent from the marginal areas; petiole usually drying blackish, 2–4 mm long, sparsely pubescent or glabrous; stipules truncate to triangular, 3–6 mm long, or shortly connate when developed, acute to acuminate, caducous, often with a line of silky hairs along the scar.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescences subumbellate, moderately compact, 1–3 cm across (excluding corollas), flowers often pendulous; primary inflorescence branches 1–6(8) mm long, glabrous; secondary branches absent or occasionally present; pedicels 1–6 mm long, glabrous; bracts stipule-like, 2–5 mm long, deciduous leaving a line of silky hairs; bracteoles inconspicuous. Inflorescence-supporting branches 1–9 cm long, bearing 0–2 pairs of leaves at the apex.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx tube 1–1.5 mm long, glabrous or with very few hairs; limb-tube 1–2 mm long, c. 1½ times wider than the tube, glabrous to sparsely hairy; lobes narrowly linear to linear, often from a triangular base or subulate, 1–4 mm long, 0.25–0.75 mm wide, covered with crisped to straight white hairs, with very few hairs, occasionally only one or two near apex or infrequently glabrous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Corolla tube 0.9–1.6(2) cm long, 2 mm wide at the top, glabrous outside, not bearded at the throat; lobes 4–6(8) × 2–2.5 mm, ± oblong, rounded or shortly acuminate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit black, 1 cm in diameter, shiny, glabrous; calyx limb persistent.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seed reddish-brown, 5 mm wide, finely rugulose on convex face.
[FZ]

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

Morphology General Habit
Shrub or small tree, often scandent, 1.5–7 m. tall; young branches glabrous, usually drying black; older branches covered with buff to brown, scarcely flaking bark.
Morphology Leaves
Leaf-blades drying greenish or blue-black, narrowly obovate to obovate, less often elliptic, lanceolate-elliptic or rarely round, 3.7–9.5 cm. long, 1.5–4.7 cm. wide, apex rounded, obtuse, acute or slightly acuminate, base cuneate or rarely ± truncate, papery, dull, glabrous or with a few hairs on midrib above, sparsely pubescent to glabrous beneath; bacterial nodules dot-shaped to elliptic, large, scattered but usually absent from the marginal areas; petiole usually drying blackish, 2–4 mm. long, sparsely pubescent or glabrous; stipules truncate to triangular, 3–6 mm. long, only shortly connate when developed, acute to acuminate, caducous, often with a line of silky hairs along the scar.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Corymbs terminal on lateral branches 1–9 cm. long bearing 0–2 pairs of leaves at the apex, subumbellate, moderately compact, 1–3 cm. across, flowers often pendulous; primary inflorescence-branches 1–6(–8) mm. long, glabrous; secondary branches absent or occasionally present; pedicels 1–6 mm. long, glabrous; bracts stipule-like, 2–5 mm. long, deciduous leaving a line of silky hairs; bracteoles inconspicuous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx-tube 1–1.5 mm. long, glabrous or with very few hairs; limb-tube 1–2 mm. long, ± 1 1/2 times wider than the tube, glabrous to sparsely hairy; lobes narrowly linear to linear, often from a triangular base or subulate, 1–4 mm. long, 0.25–0.75 mm. wide, covered with crisped or straight white hairs, with very few hairs, occasionally only one or two near apex or infrequently glabrous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Corolla-tube 0.9–1.6(–2) cm. long, 2 mm. wide at top, glabrous outside, not bearded at throat; lobes ± oblong, 4–6(–8) mm. long, 2–2.5 mm. wide, rounded or shortly acuminate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit black, 1 cm. in diameter, shiny, glabrous; calyx-limb persistent.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seed reddish brown, 5 mm. wide, finely rugulose on convex face.
[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: 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

  • 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