Gynochthodes ammitia (Halford & A.J.Ford) Razafim. & B.Bremer

Razafimandimbison, S.G. & Bremer, B. (2011) Adansonia 33(2): 285.

Vine or scandent shrub with long arching, non-twining stems. Moderately to densely hairy.

Leaves petiolate, opposite. Stipules interpetiolar, sheathing, 1-2 mm long, produced into a narrow triangular lobe, moderately to densely hairy. Petioles 2-5 mm long. Blades thick, narrowly obovate-elliptic, narrowly elliptic to elliptic, 4.5-9 x 2.5-5.6 cm, base cuneate, margins entire and slightly recurved; apex obtuse to rounded, acute to shortly acuminate; glabrous, scabrid or sparsely to moderately hairy; 5-10 lateral veins per side of midvein. Midvein slightly raised on upper surface. Tuft domatia present in lateral vein axils on lower leaf surface.

Flowers 4 or 5-merous, bisexual or possibly unisexual, sessile, in congested capitula. Capitula pedunculate in terminal umbels with 2-4 capitula per umbel or solitary in upper leaf axils, rarely a solitary sessile flower or a rudimentary capitulum present at base of peduncles, globose, 8-12 mm across, with 12-30 flowers; peduncles 10-23 mm long, elongating to 30 mm in fruit, moderately to densely hairy. Calyx tube yellow-green, ca. 2 mm long, hairy. Corolla greenish-cream to white, hairy on outside; tube 1.5-3.5 mm long, densely hairy towards mouth; lobes spreading and recurved, 3-4 mm long x 1.5-2 mm wide. Stamens exserted; filament 0.5-1.7 mm long; anthers 1.3-2 mm long. Disc entire, flat, 0.5 mm high, sparsely hairy. Style 0.8-1.5 mm long, included in corolla tube, glabrous; stigma bifid.

Compound syncarprous drupe, black when ripe, subglobose, 20-30 mm across, hairy, persistent calyx tubes prominent on surface. Each carpel containing several seeds.

Cotyledons oblong to ovate-elliptic, about 9-10 x 4 mm. At the tenth leaf stage: stems clothed in short spreading to retrorse (i.e. backward-pointing) hairs which feel rough when the fingers are run up the stem. Stems twining. Leaf blade about 4.5-5.8 x 2-2.9 cm, obovate, margin recurved. Veins forming loops inside the blade margin. Stipules interpetiolar, completely encircling the stem with a sheath about 1.5 mm long. Roots orange.

Endemic to NEQ where it is known from Cape Melville to the Cooktown-Laura area. Altitudinal range from near sea level to 700 m. Grows in open forest and low woodland communities, at the base of sandstone cliffs, in deciduous vine thicket, in low open eucalypt woodland and heath-like communities on sandstone escarpments.

Morinda ammitia Halford & A.J.Ford, Austrobaileya 6(4): 898-901 (2004). Type: Queensland. Cook District: Cooktown - Isabella Road, c. 200 m E of Isabella Falls, 13 March 2001, A. Ford AF2697 & J. Holmes (holo: BRI; iso: DNA, NSW).