Psydrax subcordatus (Dc.) Bridson

Species

Angiosperms > Gentianales > Rubiaceae > Psydrax

Characteristics

Tree 5–15 m. tall, said to have a palm-like habit, associated with ants and often the branches hollow and swollen with access-pores present; young branches distinctly square, glabrous or pubescent.. Leaf-blades oblong to ovate or sometimes broadly ovate, 9.5–22 cm. long, 4.5–16.5 cm. wide, shortly acuminate at apex, obtuse, rounded, truncate or sometimes cordate at base, glabrous or sometimes sparsely pubescent above, glabrous or pubescent on nerves or sparsely pubescent beneath, papery to subcoriaceous, dull to moderately shiny above; lateral nerves in 7–10 main pairs; tertiary nerves moderately conspicuous beneath; domatia present as hair-lined cavities in the axils of lateral and tertiary nerves; petioles 1–1.5 cm. long, glabrous or pubescent; stipules narrowly ovate to ovate, 0.4–1 cm. long (or 1.4 cm. on sapling or coppice growth), caducous.. Flowers with extremely distasteful smell, 5-merous, borne in pedunculate, 80–120-flowered, dichotomous corymbose cymes; true peduncles rather short, portion above the bract usually much longer, 0.8–2(–4) cm. altogether, pubescent or glabrous; pedicels 1.5–2.5 mm. long, sparsely puberulous to pubescent; bracts connate or sometimes free, 1–4 mm. long; bracteoles free, conspicuous or inconspicuous, up to 3 mm. long.. Calyx-tube ± 1 mm. long, glabrous or sometimes pubescent towards base; limb a dentate or truncate rim 0.5–1 mm. long, ciliate, puberulous inside.. Corolla white or creamy yellow; tube 2–3.5 mm. long, with a ring of deflexed hairs set above mid-point inside; lobes oblong-ovate, 2.5 mm. long, 1.25–1.5 mm. wide, acute.. Anthers not persistent in opened flower.. Style 5–7 mm. long; stigmatic knob 1.5–2 mm. long, ribbed.. Disk pubescent or sometimes glabrous.. Fruit black or greyish black, wider than long, 0.6–0.8 cm. long, 0.9–1.2 cm. wide, usually rather prominent at apex; pyrenes strongly curved, 6–8 mm. long, 4.5–6 mm. wide, 3–4 mm. thick, with a groove on either side from point of attachment to centre of lateral face and with a shallow crest around apex, cartilaginous, very slightly rugulose.
More
Leaf blades 9.5–22(30) × 4.5–16.5 cm, oblong to ovate or sometimes broadly ovate, shortly acuminate at apex, obtuse to rounded or truncate to subcordate at base, glabrous or sometimes sparsely pubescent on upper surface, glabrous or pubescent on nerves or sometimes sparsely pubescent beneath, papery to subcoriaceous; lateral nerves in 7–10 main pairs; tertiary nerves moderately conspicuous beneath; domatia present as hair-lined cavities in the axils of lateral and sometimes tertiary nerves; petioles 10–15 mm long, glabrous or pubescent; stipules 4–10 mm long (or 14–18 mm long on saplings or coppice growth), narrowly ovate to ovate-caducous.
Flowers with a very unpleasant smell, 5-merous, borne in 80–120-flowered, dichotomous corymbose pedunculate cymes; true peduncle rather short, the portion above the bract being longer, 0.8–2(4) cm long altogether, pubescent or glabrous; pedicels 1.5–2.5 mm long, sparsely puberulous to pubescent; bracts 1–4 mm long, in connate pairs or sometimes free; bracteoles free, inconspicuous, or conspicuous and up to 3 mm long.
Tree 5–15 m tall, with a palm-like habit, associated with ants, the branches often hollow and swollen with access pores present; young branches distinctly square in cross section, often slightly winged on the angles, glabrous to pubescent.
Pyrenes 6–8 × 4.5–6 × 3–4 mm, strongly curved, with a groove from point of attachment to the centre of the lateral face, with a shallow crest at the apex, cartilaginous, scarcely rugulose.
Corolla white or creamy-yellow; tube 2–3.5 mm long, with a ring of deflexed hairs set above mid-point inside; lobes 2.5 × 1.25–1.5 mm, oblong ovate, acute.
Calyx tube c. 1 mm long, glabrous or sometimes pubescent towards the base; limb 0.5–1 mm long, truncate to dentate, ciliate, puberulous inside.
Fruit 6–8 × 9–12(14) mm, usually rather prominent at apex, black or greyish-black.
Pollen presenter 1.5–2 mm long, ribbed; disk pubescent or sometimes glabrous.
Anthers not persistent in mature flowers.
Style 5–7 mm long.
Life form -
Growth form tree
Growth support -
Foliage retention evergreen
Sexuality hermaphrodite
Pollination -
Spread -
Mature width (meter) -
Mature height (meter) 5.0 - 15.0
Root system -
Rooting depth (meter) -
Root diameter (meter) -
Flower color -
Blooming months -
Fruit color
Fruiting months -
Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway -

Environment

Light -
Soil humidity -
Soil texture -
Soil acidity -
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) 9-12

Usage

Uses fuel invertebrate food material medicinal poison social use
Edible -
Therapeutic use Madness (unspecified), Massage (unspecified), Steam-Bath (unspecified), Cough (unspecified)
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

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

Distribution

Psydrax subcordatus world distribution map, present in Angola, Benin, Central African Republic, Congo, Cabo Verde, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sudan, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Chad, Togo, Uganda, and Zambia

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:915422-1
WFO ID wfo-0000288210
COL ID 4PRC2
BDTFX ID -
INPN ID -
Wikipedia (EN)
Wikipedia (FR)

Synonyms

Plectronia subcordata Psydrax subcordatus Canthium subcordatum Canthium polycarpum

Lower taxons

Psydrax subcordata var. connata Psydrax subcordata var. subcordata