Rubiaceae
Psychotria

Psychotria linearisepala E.M.A.Petit

First published in Bull. Jard. Bot. État Bruxelles 36: 91 (1966)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Tanzania to S. Tropical Africa. It is a shrub and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

Rubiaceae, B. Verdcourt. Flora Zambesiaca 5:1. 1989

Morphology General Habit
Shrub (or ? small tree) 0.3–2.5(4) m. tall, with slender stems, densely pubescent with whitish or ± ferruginous hairs when young, glabrescent, blackish-or greyish-purple and longitudinally ridged when older; in some specimens the internodes are short and the shoots very nodose and roughened in appearance.
Morphology Leaves
Leaf blades 1–9 x 0.5–4.5 cm., elliptic to oblong-elliptic or in some forms almost round, rounded to distinctly acuminate at the apex, narrowly cuneate to rounded at the base, rather markedly discolorous, densely to rather finely puberulous or pubescent on both sides, often rather thickly so beneath in young leaves; nodules few, situated by the lower part of the midrib and visible beneath at its side; petiole 0.2–1.3 cm. long, puberulous to densely pubescent; stipules prominently bilobed, becoming rather thick and somewhat persistent, the triangular base 3–5 mm. long, the lobes acuminate, 1.5–3(4) mm. long, drawn out into fine points when very young but soon lost in older ones, at first ± ferruginous pubescent, later glabrous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers heterostylous, 5–6(7)-merous, in few-flowered condensed subumbellate inflorescences 0.5–2.5 cm. long; peduncle 0.3–2.3 cm. long, rather densely pubescent; pedicels 1–3 mm. long, pubescent; bracts minute.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx pale, pubescent; tube 1 mm. long, obconic; limb very short or up to 0.75 mm. long; lobes 2–4 mm. long, linear or narrowly linear-triangular; disk fleshy.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Corolla white or greenish cream, pubescent outside; tube 3–5.5 mm. long; lobes 2.5–3 x 0.8 mm., narrowly-oblong.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Stamens with filaments 2–2,5 mm. long in short-styled flowers, almost obsolete in long-styled flowers.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil
Style 2.5–4 mm. long in short-styled flowers, 5–5.5 mm. long in long-styled flowers; stigma lobes 0.5–0.75 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Drupes reddish or scarlet, 3.5–5 mm. in diameter, with 1–2 pyrenes, subglobose, ± grooved between the pyrenes where 2, glabrous or glabrescent, crowned with the persistent calyx.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds red-brown, 4 x 3.5 x 2.5 mm., subglobose, the ventral face with a T-shaped median fissure; albumen not ruminate.
[FZ]

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

Morphology General Habit
Shrub (or ? small tree) 0.6–2.5(–4) m. tall, with slender stems, densely pubescent with whitish or ± ferruginous hairs when young, glabrescent, blackish- or greyish-purple and longitudinally ridged when older; in some specimens the internodes are short and the shoots very nodose and roughened in appearance.
Morphology Leaves
Leaf-blades elliptic to oblong-elliptic or in some forms almost round, 1–9 cm. long, 0.5–4.5 cm. wide, rounded to distinctly acuminate at the apex, narrowly cuneate to rounded at the base, rather markedly discolorous, densely to rather finely puberulous or pubescent on both sides, often rather thickly so beneath in young leaves; nodules few, situated by the lower part of the midrib and visible beneath at its side; petiole 0.2–1.3 cm. long, puberulous to densely pubescent; stipules prominently bilobed, becoming rather thick and somewhat persistent, the triangular base 3–5 mm. long, the lobes acuminate, 1.5–3(–4) mm. long, drawn out into fine points when very young but soon lost in older ones, at first ± ferruginous pubescent, later glabrous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers heterostylous, 5–6(–7)-merous, in few-flowered condensed subumbellate inflorescences 0.5–2.5 cm. long; peduncle 0.3–2.3 cm. long, rather densely pubescent; pedicels 1–3 mm. long, pubescent; bracts minute.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx pale, pubescent; tube obconic, 1 mm. long; limb very short or up to 0.75 mm. long; lobes linear or narrowly linear-triangular, 2–4 mm. long; disc fleshy.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Corolla white or greenish cream, pubescent outside; tube 3–5.5 mm. long; lobes narrowly-oblong, 2.5–3 mm. long, 0.8 mm. wide.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Stamens with filaments 2–2.5 mm. long in short-styled flowers, almost obsolete in long-styled flowers.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil
Style 2.5–4 mm. long in short-styled flowers, 5–5.5 mm. long in long-styled flowers; stigma-lobes 0.5–0.75 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Drupes reddish or scarlet, with 1–2 pyrenes, subglobose, ± grooved between the pyrenes where 2, 3.5–5 mm. in diameter, glabrous or glabrescent, crowned with the persistent calyx.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds red-brown, sub-globose, 4 mm. long, 3.5 mm. wide, 2.5 mm. thick, the ventral face with a T-shaped median fissure; albumen not ruminate.
[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

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. 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 2024. 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