Rubiaceae
Psychotria

Psychotria hemsleyi Verdc.

First published in Kew Bull. 30: 252 (1975)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Tanzania (W. Usambara Mountains). It is a shrub and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

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

Morphology General Habit
Shrub 3–4 m. tall, with whitish or brownish strongly ridged nodose glabrous branches, the petiole-scars quite conspicuous.
Morphology Leaves
Leaf-blades narrowly elliptic, 3–6.5 cm. long, 0.9–2 cm. wide, acute at the apex, cuneate at the base, glabrous; nodules and domatia absent; petiole short, 2–5 mm. long; stipules ovate-oblong, 3 mm. long, entire, fimbriate with ferruginous hairs, soon deciduous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers heterostylous, 5-merous, in very short panicles only totalling 2.5 cm. even in fruit; peduncle ± 5 mm. long; secondary branches 0.5–1 cm. long; pedicels 0.5 mm. long, attaining 2–3 mm. in young fruit; bracts minute, with a few ferruginous hairs.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx glabrous; tube campanulate, 1 mm. long; limb 0.5 mm. long, truncate or only obscurely lobed.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Corolla white, glabrous; tube 4–2 mm. long; lobes oblong-ovate, 2 mm. long, 1.2 mm. wide.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Stamens with filaments 0.5 mm. in short-styled flowers.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil
Style 0.9 mm. long in short-styled flowers; stigmas 0.9 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Young drupes 4.5–5 mm. in diameter, ± grooved.
Habitat
Understorey of Podocarpus-Ocotea forest and Podocarpus-Lachnopylis-Balthasaria ( Adinandra) forest; 1950–2000 m.
Distribution
T3 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/

  • 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