Cuviera semseii Verdc.

Species

Angiosperms > Gentianales > Rubiaceae > Cuviera

Characteristics

Small tree or shrub 2–6 m. tall, with grey-brown rugulose glabrous lenticellate branchlets; lateral branches sometimes reduced to spines 2.5 cm. long.. Leaf-blades elliptic, 4.4–8.5 cm. long, 1.6–4 cm. wide, acuminate at the apex, the actual tip sometimes narrowly rounded, cuneate at the base, thin, glabrous above, with hairy domatia in the main nerve-axils and sparse long setae beneath; petioles 0.5–1.3 cm. long, glabrous or sparsely setose; stipules linear-triangular to oblong, 5 mm. long, 1 mm. wide, rather thick, ± acute, the nodes bristly within.. Inflorescences axillary, opposite, several–many-flowered, the branches ± bifariously shortly pubescent; peduncles 5 mm. long; secondary peduncles up to 1 cm. long; bracts and bracteoles oblong-oblanceolate, 2–5 mm. long, 0.5–1.5 mm. wide; true pedicels 1–2 mm. long.. Calyx-tube subglobose to turbinate, 2 mm. long and wide; lobes 4–5, ovate to lanceolate, 0.6–1.5 cm. long, (2–)4.7–6 mm. wide, acuminate, narrrowed and often with colleters at the base, leafy, nervose, ± pubescent and ciliate (densely so in S. Malawi).. Corolla yellow or greenish yellow; tube 4.5 mm. long, 3 mm. wide at base and apex, 3.75 mm. wide at the middle, glabrous outside, with a ring of deflexed bristles 1 mm. long inside; lobes 5, linear-triangular, 5–6 mm. long, 1.5 mm. wide, acuminate, sparsely pilose outside.. Ovary 5-locular; style 7.5–9 mm. long, narrowed towards the apex; stigmatic club cylindric, 1.1 mm. long.. Fruits subglobose, ± 3–3.5 cm. long, 2.5 cm. wide, glabrous and a little shining, angular and wrinkled when dry; pyrenes of extraordinary characteristic shape, 2.3 cm. long, 1.4 cm. wide and 1.3 cm. thick, the outer part with radial faces forming conspicuous curved wings which form a rough V-shape in transverse section, either symmetrically 3-winged with two laterals forming a V-shape and shorter than the dorsal mid-wing or asymmetrical, one or both laterals much reduced, sometimes to a mere incurved ridge.. Figs. 132/27, p. 754; 136, p. 772.
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Leaves 4.4–8.5 × 1.6–4 cm, elliptic, acuminate at the apex, the actual tip sometimes narrowly rounded, cuneate at the base, thin, glabrous above, with hairy domatia in the main nerve axils and sparse long setae beneath; petioles 5–13 mm long, glabrous or sparsely setose; stipules 5 × 1 mm, linear-triangular to oblong, rather thick, ± acute; nodes bristly within.
Corolla yellow or greenish-yellow; tube 4.5 mm long, 3 mm wide at the base and apex, 3.75 mm wide at the middle, glabrous outside, with a ring of deflexed bristles 1 mm long inside; lobes 5, 5–6 × 1.5 mm, linear-triangular, acuminate, sparsely to densely pilose outside.
Inflorescences axillary, opposite, several-to many-flowered, the branches ± bifariously shortly pubescent; peduncles 5 mm long; secondary peduncles up to 10 mm long; bracts and bracteoles 2–5 × 0.5–1.5 mm, oblong-oblanceolate; true pedicels 1–2 mm long.
Calyx tube 2 mm long and wide, subglobose to turbinate; lobes 4–5, 6–15 × (2)4.7–6 mm, ovate to lanceolate, acuminate, narrowed and often with colleters at the base, leaf-like, nervose, sparsely to densely pubescent and ciliate.
Fruits about 3–3.5 × 2.5 cm, subglobose, glabrous and a little shining, angular and wrinkled when dry.
Small tree or shrub 2–6 m tall, with grey-brown rugulose glabrous lenticellate branchlets.
Style 7.5–9 mm long, narrowed towards the apex.
Pollen presenter 1.1 mm long, cylindrical.
Pyrenes about 2.5 cm long, sharply keeled.
Ovary 5-locular.
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Growth form tree
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Foliage retention deciduous
Sexuality hermaphrodite
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Mature height (meter) 2.0 - 6.0
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Usage

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Cultivation

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Distribution

Cuviera semseii world distribution map, present in Mozambique and Tanzania, United Republic of

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:748078-1
WFO ID wfo-0000933710
COL ID 32MVT
BDTFX ID -
INPN ID -
Wikipedia (EN)
Wikipedia (FR)

Synonyms

Cuviera semseii