Spermatophyta: Dicotyledonae: Metachlamydeae: Gentianales

Rubiaceae - Coffee family

Bridson, D.M. (1998) Rubiaceae, Part 2 Flora Zambesiaca 5(2)

Bridson, D.M. & Verdcourt, B. (2003) Rubiaceae, Part 3 Flora Zambesiaca 5(3)

Verdcourt, B. (1988) Rubiaceae, Part 1 Flora Zambesiaca 5(1)

Description of the family

Trees, shrubs, annual or perennial herbs or climbers. Leaves simple, opposite or in whorls, entire. Stipules present, usually interpetiolar, less often intrapetiolar, entire or (in some herbaceous genera) with lobes or fimbriae. In the species of tribe Rubieae (the genera Galium, Rubia and Sherardia in Zimbabwe) the distinction between leaves and stipules breaks down and there are whorls of similar leaf-like objects. Flowers usually bisexual, rarely unisexual (e.g. in some species of Anthospermum, Catunaregam and Canthium), actinomorphic. Calyx gamosepalous, (3-)4-5(-8)-lobed. Corolla gamopetalous, often with a long tube, (3-)4-5(-11)-lobed. Ovary inferior, of 2-5 or more carpels, usually 2. Fruit a capsule, berry or drupe.

Comment: A usually readily recognisable family, even in the vegetative state, from the combination of opposite (or whorled) entire leaves and interpetiolar stipules.

Worldwide: 630 genera and 10,200 species, cosmopolitan, but mainly tropical and warm areas.

Caprivi: 19 genera and 36 taxa.

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Links to genera:     View: living plant images - herbarium specimen images - all images for this family

GenusContent
Canthium Lam.Description
Carphalea Juss.Description
Cordylostigma Groeninckx & DesseinDescription
Crossopteryx FenzlDescription, Image
Empogona Hook. f.Image
Fadogia Schweinf.Description
Feretia DelileDescription, Image
Gardenia J. EllisDescription, Image
Kohautia Cham. & Schltdl.Description, Image
Oldenlandia L.Description
Pavetta L.Description, Image
Pentodon Hochst.Description
Psydrax Gaertn.Description
Pygmaeothamnus RobynsDescription
Rytigynia BlumeDescription, Image
Spermacoce L.Description, Image
Tarenna Gaertn.Description
Vangueria Comm. ex Juss.Description, Image
Vangueriopsis RobynsDescription

Other sources of information about Rubiaceae:

Our websites:

Flora of Botswana: Rubiaceae
Flora of Burundi: Rubiaceae
Flora of the DRC: Rubiaceae
Flora of Malawi: Rubiaceae
Flora of Mozambique: Rubiaceae
Flora of Mozambique: cultivated Rubiaceae
Flora of Rwanda: Rubiaceae
Flora of Zambia: Rubiaceae
Flora of Zambia: cultivated Rubiaceae
Flora of Zimbabwe: Rubiaceae
Flora of Zimbabwe: cultivated Rubiaceae

External websites:

African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Rubiaceae
BHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library): Rubiaceae
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Rubiaceae
GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility): Rubiaceae
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
iNaturalist: Rubiaceae
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Rubiaceae
JSTOR Plant Science: Rubiaceae
Mansfeld World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops: Rubiaceae
Wikipedia: Rubiaceae
Plants of the World Online: Rubiaceae
Tropicos: Rubiaceae



Copyright: Mark Hyde, Bart Wursten, Petra Ballings and Meg Coates Palgrave, 2014-24

Hyde, M.A., Wursten, B.T., Ballings, P. & Coates Palgrave, M. (2024). Flora of Caprivi: Family page: Rubiaceae.
https://www.capriviflora.com/speciesdata/family.php?family_id=198, retrieved 4 December 2024

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