Rubiaceae
Psychotria
Psychotria moninensis

Psychotria moninensis subsp. butayei (De Wild.) O.Lachenaud

First published in Opera Bot. Belg. 17(1): 295 (2019)
This subspecies is accepted
The native range of this subspecies is Tanzania to Angola. It is a subshrub or shrub and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

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

Morphology General Habit
Shrub or subshrub with simple or branched stems 0.15–1.2(2) m. tall from a woody rhizome or with many short unbranched stems from a woody stock; stems dull purplish, glabrous or pubescent, longitudinally rugose or ribbed.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves often missing from the lower nodes; blades 1–11 x 0.5–4.8 cm., ovate to obovate or narrowly elliptic, obtuse to acute at the apex, cuneate at the base, completely glabrous or sometimes pubescent on both sides, thin to thinly coriaceous, sometimes drying blackish- to yellowish-green; domatia absent; nodules absent or sometimes a few long tubercular ones along the main nerve; petiole 0–1 cm. long, glabrous; stipules ovate-triangular, 4–6 mm. long, acuminate or narrowly bifid at the apex, glabrous or pubescent outside but with ferruginous hairs within, deciduous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers heterostylous, 5-merous, in sparsely branched often condensed panicles 2–6 cm. long; peduncle 1–5 cm. long, glabrous or pubescent; secondary branches 0.5–2 cm. long; pedicels 1–2 mm. long, glabrous; bracts and bracteoles minute.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx tube 0.7 mm. high, obconical, glabrous; limb 0.7–1 mm. tall, cupuliform, glabrous; lobes 0.5–1 mm. long, ± triangular, glabrous or margined with hairs.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Corolla white, glabrous or densely minutely papillate outside; tube 4–6 mm. long; lobes 1.7–3 x 1.5 mm., triangular, thickened at apex.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Stamens with filaments 3–3.5 mm. long in short-styled flowers, obsolete in long-styled flowers.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil
Style 3 mm. long in short-styled flowers, 4.5–6 mm. long in long-styled flowers; stigma lobes ± 1 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Drupes red, transversely ellipsoid, divided into 2 subglobose parts by a median groove, with 2 pyrenes, 5.5–7 x 7.5–10 mm, or sometimes subglobose, ± 6 mm. in diameter and containing only 1 pyrene; pyrenes subglobose, 5–7 x 5–7 x 4–5 mm., both faces entire.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seed subglobose, ventral face deeply ruminate, usually with a deep median fissure which is branched within; dorsal face scarcely or not ruminate.
[FZ]

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

Morphology General Habit
Shrub or subshrub with simple or branched stems 0.15–1.2(–2) m. tall from a woody rhizome or with many short unbranched stems from a woody stock; stems dull purplish, glabrous or pubescent, longitudinally rugose or ribbed.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves often missing from the lower nodes; blades ovate to obovate or narrowly elliptic, 3.5–10 cm. long, 0.7–4.5 cm. wide, obtuse to acute at the apex, cuneate at the base, completely glabrous or sometimes pubescent on both sides, thin to thinly coriaceous, sometimes drying blackish- to yellowish-green; domatia absent; nodules absent or sometimes a few long tubercular ones along the main nerve; petiole 0–1 cm. long, glabrous; stipules ovate-triangular, 4–6 mm. long, acuminate or narrowly bifid at the apex, glabrous or pubescent outside but with ferruginous hairs within, deciduous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers heterostylous, 5-merous, in sparsely branched often condensed panicles 2–6 cm. long; peduncle 1–5 cm. long, glabrous or pubescent; secondary branches 0.5–2 cm. long; pedicels 1–2 mm. long, glabrous; bracts and bracteoles minute.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx-tube obconical, 0.75 mm. high, glabrous; limb cupuliform, 0.75–1 mm. tall, glabrous; lobes ± triangular, 0.5–1 mm. long, glabrous or margined with hairs.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Corolla white, glabrous or densely minutely papillate outside; tube 4–6 mm. long; lobes triangular, 1.75–3 mm. long, 1.5 mm. wide, thickened at the apex.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Stamens with filaments 3–3.5 mm. long in short-styled flowers, obsolete in long-styled flowers.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil
Style 3 mm. long in short-styled flowers, 4.5–6 mm. long in long-styled flowers; stigma-lobes ± 1 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Drupes red, transversely ellipsoid, divided into 2 subglobose parts by a median groove, with 2 pyrenes, 5.5–7 mm. tall, 7.5–10 mm. wide, or sometimes subglobose, ± 6 mm. in diameter and containing only 1 pyrene; pyrenes subglobose, 5–7 mm. long, 5–7 mm. wide, 4–5 mm. thick, both faces entire.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seed sub-globose, ventral face deeply ruminate, usually with a deep median fissure which is branched within, dorsal face scarcely or not ruminate.
[FTEA]

Sources

  • 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

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

  • 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 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 2023. 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