Rubiaceae
Empogona

Empogona ngalaensis (Robbr.) Tosh & Robbr.

First published in Ann. Missouri Bot. Gard. 96: 208 (2009)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is S. Tanzania to N. Malawi. It is a shrub and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

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: threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

Rubiaceae, D.M.Bridson & B.Verdcourt. Flora Zambesiaca 5:3. 2003

Morphology General Habit
Shrub 2–5 m tall; young stems usually puberulous-pubescent; older stems with light grey or light brown bark.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves deciduous, dimorphic, those at start of new season’s growth smaller, broader and often cordate at the base; main blades (3)5–11 × (1)2.5–4 cm, ovate, elliptic to obovate, acute or sometimes subacuminate at apex, rounded to cordate at the base, papery, glabrous on upper surface, with very few scattered hairs beneath; midrib flat above, raised beneath, pubescent on both surfaces; lateral nerves in 5–7 main pairs, pubescent; tertiary nerves mostly perpendicular to midrib; domatia present as inconspicuous (or conspicuous ?teratological) tufts of hairs; petiole c. 2 mm long, pubescent; stipule limbs 1.5–2 mm long, pubescent outside; arista 3–5 mm long, pubescent.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescences borne at naked nodes, sessile or subsessile, 1–3-flowered; 1–2 orders of branching present; branches up to 1 mm long in fruit; pedicels 2–3 mm long, pubescent; bract stipule-like; bracteoles c. 2 mm long, chaffy, splitting; bractlets linear, 1–2 alternate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers 5-merous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx tube c. 1 mm long, lanate; limb-tube very short; lobes well separated by sinuses, 0.5–1 mm long, deltate, acute or apiculate, ciliate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Corolla white; tube 4.5 mm long, glabrous outside, with a dense congested tangle of hairs projecting from throat; lobes 4 × 2.5 mm long, acute, very sparsely ciliate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Stamens reflexed; anthers 3 mm long; apiculum 1 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil
Style glabrous; pollen presenter lobes held just above throat hairs; ovules 2 co-lateral on each placenta.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit c. 6 mm diameter, usually 2-seeded, pubescent, crowned by the persistent calyx limb; pedicel lengthening to 6 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds brown, c. 5 mm across, hemispherical with a ventral excavation.
[FZ]

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

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • 'The Herbarium Catalogue, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet http://www.kew.org/herbcat [accessed on Day Month Year]'. Please enter the date on which you consulted the system.
    • 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 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