Psychotria lucentifolia (Blake) Steyerm.

  • Authority

    Maguire, Bassett. 1972. The botany of the Guayana Highland--part IX. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 23: 1-832.

  • Family

    Rubiaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Psychotria lucentifolia (Blake) Steyerm.

  • Type

    Type. Cocollar, Estado Sucre, Venezuela, Humboldt & Bonpland.

  • Discussion

    Evea lucentifolia Blake, Contr. U. S. Nat. Herb. 20: 532. pl. 42. 1924.

    Cephaelis salicifolia H. & B. ex R. & S., Syst. Veg. 5: 214. 1819, not Psychotria salicifolia Hemsl. 1881, nor Psychotria salicifolia H.B.K. 1819, nor Psychotria salicifolia H. & B. ex R. & S. 1819.

    This species bridges the gap between such species as P. oblita Wernh. and P. hemicephaelis Wernh. on the one hand and P. leiantha Steyerm., P. umbriana (Standl.) Steyerm., P. lupulina Benth., and the P. hoffmannseggiana group on the other hand. The outermost, lowest involucral bracts of P. lucentifolia are situated at the very base of the inflorescence at the base of the axes, instead of raised upon the axes themselves as in P. lupulina and P. lindenii, nor is the axis of the inflorescence branched as in those species. The leaves are quite variable in shape, the photo of the type showing leaves which are lanceolate to elliptic-lanceolate, matched by a specimen (Steyermark 61103) collected not far from the type locality in the adjacent state of Anzoategui. However, the leaves vary from ovate or ovate-elliptic to lanceolate.

    Blake’s description needs emending. He described the heads of flowers as being surrounded by five involucral bracts, whereas a dissection of isotype collections at VEN show only four involucral bracts present on the outside of a head and four interior bracts surrounding 10-13 flowers. The non-bracteolate flowers, which are crowded together, are subtended on their outer borders by the varied-sized bracts, a situation likewise found in the group to which P. lupulina belongs. As in many species of Psychotria with similarly arranged bracts, a group of three flowers is subtended by one larger bract on either side of which is a smaller bract or two larger bracts and one smaller bract, or a group of 4-5 flowers is subtended by two larger and two smaller bracts. In a group of five flowers, the central one is solitary with a pair on either side next to the bracts.