Rubiaceae
Psychotria

Psychotria crassipetala E.M.A.Petit

First published in Bull. Jard. Bot. État Bruxelles 34: 191 (1964)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Kenya (Teita). It is a shrub or tree and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/32252/84419018

Conservation
EN - endangered
[IUCN]

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

Morphology General Habit
Shrub or tree 3.5–10 m. tall, with glabrous branches.
Morphology Leaves
Leaf-blades elliptic to broadly elliptic, 6–15 cm. long, 3–9 cm. wide, ± rounded to shortly acuminate at the apex, cuneate at the base, glabrous on both surfaces, thinly coriaceous, without nodules but with domatia; petiole 1–5 cm. long, glabrous; stipules ovate-triangular, 5 mm. long, shortly acuminate at the apex, glabrous, deciduous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers probably heterostylous, 5-merous, in much-branched panicles, 3–7 cm. long; peduncle 1–3 cm. long, glabrous; secondary branches 0.5–3 cm. long, with tufts of ferruginous hairs at junctions; pedicels thick, 1–2 mm. or up to 1 cm. long in fruit, glabrous; bracts and bracteoles small.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx-tube subglobose, 1.5 mm. long; limb campanulate, 3–4 mm. long, glabrous, the margin irregularly lobed or almost truncate, the lobes 1 mm. long, minutely ciliate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Corolla white or cream, usually densely minutely papillate outside when dry but smooth in life; tube funnel-shaped, ± 4–5 mm. long, glabrous inside; lobes thick, 6 mm. long, 2.5 mm. wide, inflexed at the apex.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Stamens with filaments 3–4 mm. long in short-styled flowers, 0.5–1 mm. long in long-styled flowers.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil
Style 2 mm. long in short-styled flowers, 7.5–9 mm. long in long-styled flowers; stigma-lobes 1 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Drupes greenish blue, with 2 pyrenes, subglobose, 8 mm. in diameter, glabrous, crowned with the ± conspicuous calyx, not grooved; pyrenes semi-globose, 5–6.5 mm. long and wide, 2.8 mm. thick, the ventral surface plane, the dorsal surface entire.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds similar in size and shape, ventral surface plane, the dorsal surface not ribbed; albumen ruminate on both sides.
Habitat
Evergreen forest; 30–1850 m. (see note)
Distribution
K7 not known elsewhere
[FTEA]

Sources

  • Flora of Tropical East Africa

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

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • 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 2023. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2022 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 2023. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2022 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0