Rubiaceae
Pauridiantha rubens
- Leaf margin, lower surface.
- Petioles and stipules on young leaves.
- Stipule.
- Midrib and venation, leaf lower surface.
- Immature fruit.
- Immature fruit.
- Leafy branch.
- Dried leaf in herbarium.
General Information
The leaves of this plant are large, shiny and green, but not very remarkable when fresh. However, when the leaves are dried to make a herbarium specimen they turn bright red. In addition they become very brittle. The dye is so bright that this species was reportedly cultivated on Bioko for the dye. The colour a plant dries can be useful in species level identification but rarely is it as striking as in this species. The leaves are up to 40 cm long. The stipules are obvious and in a form quite unusual for Rubiaceae, being slightly folded and curved when fresh. They are approximately 1 cm long. The fruits have the remains of the whitish floral disc on their tops. This small tree can reach a height of 10 m.
Ecology
Seasonally flooded areas in full sunlight and disturbed places such as roadsides.
Distribution
Distribution: Nigeria to Gabon and DRC.