Psychotria loniceroides Sieber ex DC.

Rubiaceae

Candolle, A.P. de (1830) Prodromus 4: 523. Type: Sieb! nov.-holl. exs. n. 263. in Novae-Hollandiae; holo: G-DC?.

Psychotria, Hairy; Mapoon Bush; Bush, Mapoon; Hairy Psychotria

Usually flowers and fruits as a shrub 1-2 m tall.

Stipules about 7 mm long, tubular, encircling the twigs, ending in two aristate tips on each side of the twig. Young shoots, twigs and leaves densely clothed in rusty pink or brown hairs. Leaf blades about 5-11 x 1.5-5 cm. Lateral veins depressed on the upper surface and forming loops just inside the blade margin.

Inflorescence clothed in white, erect hairs. Outer surface of the calyx and corolla densely clothed in rusty or dark brown hairs. Calyx tube (hypanthium) about 1 mm long, lobes about 1 mm long. Corolla tube about 3 mm long, lobes about 2 mm long. Style about 4 mm long.

Fruits globular, 3-4 mm diam., clothed in short, erect, pale hairs, calyx lobes persistent at the apex. "Seeds" (endocarps) about 2-3 mm long, flat on one side, testa intruding into the endosperm. Endocarp longitudinally ribbed. Embryo small, 1 mm long, cotyledons slightly wider than the radicle.

Cotyledons broadly ovate, about 10-17 x 9-11 mm, apex obtuse, base rounded to almost cordate. Cotyledonary stipules about 1-2 mm long. First pair of leaves opposite and stipulate. At the tenth leaf stage: leaf blade elliptic to obovate, apex acute, base attenuate, underside clothed in numerous pale hairs. Stipules interpetiolar, encircling the stems, stipules about 3-11 mm long, bifid at the apex. Seed germination time 43 to 523 days.

Probably endemic to Australia, occurs in NT, CYP, NEQ, CEQ and southwards as far as south-eastern New South Wales. Altitudinal range in northern Australia from near sea level to 1100 m. Grows as an understory plant in the drier rain forest types, monsoon forest and vine thickets.

Psychotria loniceroides var. typica Domin, Bibliotheca Botanica 89(4): 1179(1928), Type: Sud-Queensland: in den Regenwaldern der Tambourine Mts. gemein (DOMIN III. 1910). Uragoga loniceroides (DC.) Kuntze, Revisio Generum Plantarum 2: 961(1891). Psychotria loniceroides DC. var. loniceroides, Flora Australiensis 3: 428(1867).