Psychotria punctata var. punctata

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

Morphology General Habit

Shrub or subshrub (0.1)0.2–6 m. tall, rarely somewhat scandent; stems glabrous to densely velvety pubescent, sometimes with yellow-brown hairs, the older stems often becoming glabrescent or glabrous, pale to blackish purple in more shrubby forms.

Morphology Leaves

Leaf blades 2–18 x 0.5–9 cm., narrowly to broadly elliptic, elliptic-obovate, ± ovate or oblong-elliptic, rounded to acute or ± acuminate at the apex, cuneate at the base, glabrous or densely velvety pubescent above and beneath or sometimes with only rather sparse long hairs on the midnerve beneath, mostly rather thin but sometimes ± coriaceous, the margins often thin, drying yellow and sometimes very marked, sometimes wavy; domatia absent; nodules numerous, spot-like or rarely linear, scattered in the lamina; petiole 0.1–2.5 cm. long, glabrous or pubescent; stipules usually brown and ± scarious, 2.5–11 mm. long, ovate-triangular, bilobed at the apex, the lobes 0.5–4(6) mm. long, acuminate or filiform, glabrous to densely pubescent.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Flowers heterostylous, 5(6)-merous, in panicles or umbels or collections of umbels, 1–14 cm. long, the actual component pans often quite dense; peduncles 0.5–9 cm. long, glabrous to densely pubescent; secondary branches 0.2–2.5 cm. long, similarly hairy; pedicels 1–3(6 in fruit) mm. long, glabrous or hairy; bracts and bracteoles small, filiform or narrowly triangular, up to 4 mm. long.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Calyx glabrous or hairy; tube 0.5–1 mm. tall; limb 0.75–1.5 mm. long, cupuliform, glabrous or hairy; lobes 0.2–0.75 mm. long or ± obsolete.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Corolla white, cream, greenish or rarely yellow, glabrous outside; tube 2.5–6 mm. long; lobes 2–3(5) x 0.8–1.2 mm. oblong or elliptic.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens

Stamens with filaments 1.5–3 mm. long in short-styled flowers, 0–0.5 mm. long in long-styled flowers.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil

Style 1.5–3.75 mm. long in short-styled flowers, 3.5–6(10) mm. long in long-styled flowers; stigma lobes 0.25–0.75(2) mm. long.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Drupes red, with 2 pyrenes, subglobose, 5–7 mm. diam. or didymously subglobose, 7–8 x 4–6 mm., glabrous or sparsely hairy when young; pyrenes 4–4.5 x 3 mm., semi-globose to subglobose, slightly rugulose.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds semi-globose to subglobose, similar in size, ventral face with a T-shaped median fissure but rest of albumen not ruminate.