Rubiaceae
Psychotria

Psychotria petitii Verdc.

First published in Kew Bull. 30: 249 (1975)
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/32253/84419050

Conservation
EN - endangered
[IUCN]

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

Morphology General Habit
Shrub or small tree 3–9 m. tall, with glabrous branches save for tufts of ferruginous hairs within the stipules, visible after they have fallen; petiole-bases leaving conspicuous raised round scars, at least in the dried material.
Morphology Leaves
Leaf-blades elliptic to oblong-elliptic, 4.5–13.5 cm. long, 2.2–5 cm. wide, mostly shortly acuminate at the apex, cuneate at the base, glabrous on both surfaces, without nodules or domatia; petiole 0.8–3 cm. long; stipules ovate-elliptic, 7–10 mm. long, 5–7 mm. wide, entire, distinctly or obscurely ciliate with short hairs, soon deciduous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers? heterostylous, 5-merous, in branched panicles, each component rather dense, ± 1 cm. long; peduncle 6 cm. long; secondary branches 0.5–1.2 cm. long; bracts ± triangular, distinctly ciliate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx-tube subglobose, 1 mm. long, glabrous; limb 1 mm. long; lobes oblong or triangular, 0.6–1 mm. long, ciliate; disc prominent.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Corolla white; tube 4 mm. long; lobes ovate-elliptic, 2 mm. long, 1.2 mm. wide, acuminate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Stamens with filaments 1 mm. long in short-styled flowers.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil
Style 1.2 mm. long in short-styled flowers; stigma-lobes ellipsoid, 0.4 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Drupes globose, 1.6 cm. in diameter, smooth in fresh state, ± grooved in the dry state, when dry with a ring of lacunae between ridges of pyrenes and the outer wall; pyrenes 5–6 mm. thick, shiny and grooved within, with ± 15 wing-like ridges.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds dark purplish brown, semi-ellipsoid or almost circular, 9–13 mm. long, 7–11 mm. wide, 3.5–4 mm. thick, ventrally flattened, dorsally ± 5-ribbed, deeply ruminate on both surfaces.
Habitat
Evergreen forest; 1410 m.
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