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Taxonomy
Gaertnera letouzeyi S. T. Malcomber
SUMMARY
Shrubs, 4–5 m tall; branches flattened near stem apex, otherwise terete to subquadrangular, when young branches glabrous or puberulent with indumentum drying yellow, becoming glabrescent, 5–9 mm diam.; internodes 4.5–16 cm, smooth. Leaf blades 16–33 3 7.5–13.5 cm, elliptic-oblong to ovate, apex rounded then abruptly shortly cuspidate or acuminate, base cuneate or btuse, drying coriaceous or chartaceous, glabrous; secondary veins prominulous abaxially, 7 to 12 pairs; domatia absent; petioles 10–45 mm. Stipules tubular, glabrous or puberulent, drying chartaceous, persistent on distalmost nodes or fragmenting, tube 30–45 mm, with ribs 4, narrowly winged, arising below petiole and extending to lobes, apex with 1 incision, lobes 2, 1–7 mm, deltate. Inflorescences cymose, many-flowered, terminal on principal and/or axillary branches, densely pilosulose to glabrous; peduncle 2.5–13.5 cm; branched portion corymbiform, 7–23 3 6.5–22 cm, branched to 3 to 5 orders, lax; bracts deltate or trifid, 3–10 mm; bracteoles reduced; pedicels absent or up to 3.5 mm. Flowers 5-merous, floral biology unknown. Calyx cup-shaped, 2.5–3.5 mm wide, pale pinkish green, outside glabrous or puberulent, with hair-ring inside, lobes 0.3–2 mm, triangular to oblong or rounded; corolla in bud white, clavate and densely puberulent outside with tube to 5 mm and lobes to 3 mm, mature corollas, stamens, and stigmas unknown. Drupes violet-black, globose or subglobose or didymous, 6–9 3 6–9 mm; pyrenes spherical or hemispherical, rugose, finely fissured or with pale brown striations, endosperm entire.
Source: Malcomber S.T. and C.M. Taylor. 2009. A systematic revision of Gaertnera (rubiaceae, Gaertnereae) Ann. Missouri Bot. 96:575—671.