Psychotria lauracea (K.Schum.) E.M.A.Petit

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

Morphology General Habit

Shrub or rarely a small tree 1–6(–7.5) m. tall, with glabrous stems.

Morphology Leaves

Leaf-blades elliptic, oblong-elliptic or ovate-lanceolate, 5–19(–23.5) cm. long, 3–10.5(–14.2) cm. wide, acute or obscurely ± obtusely acuminate or rounded at the apex, cuneate to rounded at the base, completely glabrous, mostly drying grey-green or reddish brown (“russet”), ± shining in life and said to be green above and yellow beneath, rather thin to distinctly coriaceous, with a distinct thin almost hyaline ± revolute margin, the lamina often covered with minute scattered nodule-like black dots beneath but these may be very obscure or absent; domatia inconspicuous or absent; petiole 1–6 cm. long, glabrous; stipules ± ovate or oblong, 1–2 cm. long, bilobed at the apex, the lobes 2–8 mm. long, glabrous, deciduous.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Flowers sweetly scented, heterostylous, 5-merous, in much-branched often somewhat pyramidal panicles 7–18 cm. long or rarely 3 inflorescences from a node with ± undeveloped leaves resembling bracts; peduncles 4–12 cm. long, glabrous, usually quite noticeably 2-winged and flattened even in life; secondary branches (0.3–)0.6–3.3(–6.5) cm. long; pedicels 2–3.5 mm. long; bracts and bracteoles minute.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Calyx glabrous; tube obconic, 0.8 mm. long; limb cupuliform, 0.3–0.7 mm. long, subtruncate, or lobes very small, rounded, 0.25 mm. long.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Corolla white, cream, pinkish white, greenish yellow, brownish or pale green, glabrous; tube funnel-shaped, 2–3 mm. long; lobes ± ovate, 2–2.5 mm. long, 0.8–1.5 mm. wide.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens

Stamen-filaments ± 1 mm. long in short-styled flowers but almost obsolete in long-styled flowers.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Style

Style 1.3–2 mm. long in short-styled flowers, 3–3.5 mm. long in long-styled flowers.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Drupes red, yellow or scarlet, with 2 pyrenes, sub-globose, 4–5 mm. tall, 5–6 mm. wide, glabrous, densely speckled with rhaphides, very distinctly slightly ribbed in dry state; pyrenes grey, rhaphide-packed, semiglobose, 4.5 mm. long, 4 mm. wide, 2–3 mm. thick, dorsally slightly 6-ribbed (including margins), ventrally flat.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds dark red, semi-globose, 4 mm. long and wide, 2.2 mm. thick; ventral surface rugulose, dorsal surface obscurely ribbed or smooth; albumen slightly to deeply ruminate on ventral face but scarcely so on dorsal face, ventrally with a ± Y-shaped groove.

Habitat

Various types of evergreen forest and derived thicket including coastal, seasonal swamp, riverine and Podocarpus; 0–1800 m.

Distribution

K4 K5 K6 K7 T1 T2 T3 T6 T8 U2 U3 U4 Z