Rubiaceae
Psychotria

Psychotria taitensis Verdc.

First published in Kew Bull. 30: 248 (1975)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Kenya (Teita). It is a shrub or tree and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

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: threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

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

Morphology General Habit
Small understorey tree; branchlets wrinkled, glabrous.
Morphology Leaves
Leaf-blades elliptic, oblong-elliptic or obovate-elliptic, 7.5–14 cm. long, 3.75–7 cm. wide, very shortly ± bluntly acuminate or subacute at the apex, cuneate at the base, glabrous, said to be thick and lustrous; petiole 1–2.7 cm. long; stipules large, broadly elliptic or almost round, 2.5–3 cm. long, 2 cm. wide, ± acute, entire, soon falling, with a line of hairs at the nodes within the stipules.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers in branched inflorescences, each component ± capitate; peduncles 2–7 cm. long, glabrous; secondary peduncles 1.2–2.5 cm. long; pedicels obsolete; bracts forming a small lobed ciliate involucre at the junction of the secondary peduncles, 1.3 cm. wide; secondary bracts small, ciliate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx-tube obconic to semiglobose, 0.7–1.2 mm. long; free part of limb 1 mm. long; lobes rounded, 0.8–1 mm. long, ciliate; disc prominent.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Corolla white; tube 2.5 mm. long; lobes ovate-lanceolate, 2 mm. long, 1 mm. wide, thickened and ± appendiculate at the apex.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens Anthers
Anthers exserted 0.8 mm. in long-styled flowers.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil
Style 2.5 mm. long in long-styled flowers; stigma-lobes flattened and lobulate, 0.5 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruits red, 7–8 mm. in diameter, crowned by the persistent calyx-lobes; pyrenes almost round in outline, 4 mm. in diameter, 1.5 mm. thick, slightly concave ventrally, strongly 4-ribbed dorsally.
Habitat
Mist forest mainly with Syzygium and Rapanea; 1400–1600 m.
Distribution
not known elsewhere K7
[FTEA]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

  • Flora of Tropical East Africa

    • Flora of Tropical East Africa
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • 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 2024. 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 2024. 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