Psychotria capensis Vatke

Black bird-berry (en)

Species

Angiosperms > Gentianales > Rubiaceae > Psychotria

Characteristics

Shrub or small tree, 2-4 m high. Leaves petiolate, ± elliptic; domatia close to venation, bacterial nodules faintly dotted. Stipules ± ovate, caducous; colleters present. Flowers in terminal cymes. Calyx persistent; tube cup-shaped with minute teeth. Corolla 5-lobed, white, yellow or reddish, glabrous; lobes reflexed, shorter than tube, valvate; tube cylindric, throat hairy. Stamens 5, arising in middle of corolla tube, slightly exserted. Ovary 2-locular, 1 erect ovule per locule; style filiform; stigma bifid, lobes linear. Flowering time Sept.-Mar. Fruit ovoid drupes, ± 7 mm long, red, ageing to blackish.
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Leaves 3–14(20) x 1–6(10) cm., narrowly obovate to oblanceolate or oblong-elliptic, rounded to acuminate at the apex, narrowly cuneate at the base, rather thin to subcoriaceous or coriaceous; domatia often present in nerve-axils with ± small openings; petiole 0.4–2(4) cm. long; stipules 3–8 mm. long, triangular to ovate-triangular, apiculate to acute at the apex, glabrous or rarely pubescent, soon falling.
A shrub or small tree. It grows 1-5 m tall or taller. The stems are finely ridged. The leaves are 3-14 cm long by 1-6 cm wide. The flowers are in much branched groups 2-15 cm long. They are yellow. The fruit are red and 5-6.5 mm across.
Shrub or small tree to 7 m. Leaves opposite, leathery, obovate, margins revolute. Flowers in terminal, pedunculate cymes. Flowers yellow, berries red.
Flowers in much-branched panicles 2–15 cm. long; peduncle 1–10 cm. long; pedicels 0–2 mm. long to 5–12 mm. in fruit; bracts and bracteoles minute.
Shrub or small tree 1–5(20) m. tall with pale finely ridged stems, mostly glabrous but with pubescent foliage inflorescences etc. in one variety.
Corolla cream or yellow; tube (2)3–5 mm. long; lobes 1.5–3 x 1.3–2 mm., oblong-triangular, ± thickened at the apex.
Stamens with filaments 1.5–3.5 mm. long in short-styled flowers and 0.3–1 mm. long in long-styled flowers.
Calyx tube and limb tube together scarcely 1–1.5 mm. long; lobes 0.3–0.5 mm. long, triangular.
Style 2–3 mm. long and 4.5–5 mm. long respectively, the stigmatic arms 0.5–1 mm. long.
Fruits red, ± 5–6.5 mm. diam., subglobose; pyrene with abaxial face entire.
Seed with adaxial face flat and deeply ruminate, abaxial face convex.
Life form perennial
Growth form
Growth support free-standing
Foliage retention
Sexuality hermaphrodite
Pollination -
Spread -
Mature width (meter) -
Mature height (meter) 2.0 - 5.0
Root system -
Rooting depth (meter) -
Root diameter (meter) -
Flower color
Blooming months -
Fruit color
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Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway c3

Environment

It is a subtropical plant.
Light -
Soil humidity -
Soil texture 7-8
Soil acidity -
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) 9-12

Usage

Uses environmental use food material medicinal
Edible fruits
Therapeutic use -
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

Mode -
Germination duration (days) -
Germination temperacture (C°) -
Germination luminosity -
Germination treatment -
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Optimum temperature (C°) -
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Images

Flower

Psychotria capensis flower picture by emily wabuyele (cc-by-sa)

Distribution

Psychotria capensis world distribution map, present in Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mozambique, Mauritius, Somalia, eSwatini, Tanzania, United Republic of, Uganda, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe

Conservation status

Psychotria capensis threat status: Least Concern

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:761631-1
WFO ID wfo-0000285252
COL ID 4PNJJ
BDTFX ID -
INPN ID -
Wikipedia (EN) Link
Wikipedia (FR)

Synonyms

Psychotria capensis Grumilea capensis Grumilea cymosa Grumilea capensis var. angustifolia Logania capensis Uragoga capensis Psychotria capensis var. capensis

Lower taxons

Psychotria capensis subsp. capensis Psychotria capensis var. puberula Psychotria capensis subsp. riparia Psychotria capensis var. pubescens