Rytigynia macrura Verdc.

First published in Kew Bull. 42: 178 (1987)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is S. Tropical Africa. It is a shrub or tree and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

Rubiaceae, D. Bridson. Flora Zambesiaca 5:2. 1998

Morphology General Habit
A shrub 1.5–4.5 m tall, or small tree; older parts with a smooth grey bark; branches elongate with graceful horizontal branchlets, at first pubescent.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves paired, 1–6.5 × 0.4–3 cm, usually narrowly obovate or sometimes elliptic, or ± rounded, thin, narrowly acuminate at the apex, cuneate at the base, sparsely to densely appressed pilose on both sides and also with domatia beneath; petiole 0–3 mm long, pubescent; stipule bases ± triangular, subscarious, ± pubescent, joined into a sheath 1–3 mm long with a subulate laterally compressed appendage 1.5–5 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers solitary; pedicels 5–6 mm long, pubescent.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx tube pubescent, 1.2 mm long; limb 0.5 mm long with minute filiform lobes 0.5 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Corolla produced at the apex into 5 tails in bud; white or greenish-cream, pubescent or glabrescent; tube 3.5–4 mm long, pubescent or glabrescent outside, with a ring of long deflexed hairs inside at the middle; lobes 4–4.5 × 1.7–2 mm, oblong, spreading, with linear-lanceolate greenish appendages 5–7 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil
Ovary 2-locular; style exserted; pollen presenter 1.5 mm long and wide, distinctly bilobed.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit yellow or yellowish, or whitish-green, globose and 14 mm in diameter in live state but usually bilobed, 9–12 mm long and wide when dry, glabrous or sparsely pilose; pyrenes c. 8 mm long.
[FZ]

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]

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 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