Rytigynia beniensis (De Wild.) Robyns

First published in Bull. Jard. Bot. État Bruxelles 11: 170 (1928)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is E. Central Tropical Africa to Uganda. It is a shrub and grows primarily in the wet tropical biome.

Descriptions

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/111326657/111326684

Conservation
NT - near threatened
[IUCN]

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]

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

Morphology General Habit
Small symmetrical divaricately branched shrub 0.9–4.2 m. tall, with branchlets either opposite or ternate or occasionally one suppressed and apparently alternate, slender, pubescent when young, later ± glabrous and with ridged dark red-brown bark densely dotted with pale lenticels.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves paired or? sometimes in whorls of 3; blades elliptic, narrowly oblong-elliptic or oblong-lanceolate, 1.2–5.5 cm. long, 0.7–2.2 cm. wide, mostly rather long-acuminate at the apex, cuneate to rounded at the base, the actual apex narrowly rounded, with scattered short ± stiff hairs mainly on the venation; margins sometimes undulate in dried material; petiole 1–2 mm. long; stipules joined to form a pubescent sheath 2–2.5 mm. long; appendages subulate 1.5–2.5 mm. long; later the sheath splits and appears lacerated, densely pilose within, the bases ± persistent.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers 2–6 in stalked fascicles supported by paired scarious ovate bracts 2 mm. long and wide; peduncle 1–3 mm. long; pedicels 3–5(–7) mm. long, usually short, pubescent.
Morphology General Buds
Buds acuminate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx-tube subglobose, 1–1.3 mm. long, the limb ± scarious, 0.5 mm. long, subtruncate or 5-denticulate, the teeth triangular ± 0.5 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Corolla cream, white or green; tube 1.5–2 mm. long, glabrous outside, with a ring of deflexed hairs inside; lobes triangular, 2 mm. long, 1.3 mm. wide, subacute or very shortly acuminate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil
Ovary 3(–4)-locular; style exserted 1–1.5 mm., the stigmatic club ± 1 mm. long, usually 3-lobed.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit subglobose, 6 mm. long, 7 mm. wide, 4–7 mm. thick, crowned with calyx-limb, with (1 –)2–3 pyrenes, each ellipsoid-reniform, 6 × 4 × 3.5 mm., notched one-third from the apex on inner angle.
Habitat
Forest edges, thicket woodland or grassland, often in swampy places or on termite mounds; also reported from rocky areas and eroded land; (?990–)1240–1500 m.
Distribution
U2 U4
[FTEA]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
  • Flora of Tropical East Africa

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