THE MADDER FAMILY 



RUBIACEiE B. Jussieu 



UBIACEiE comprise some 355 genera including about 5500 species of 

 trees, shrubs or herbs, with entire leaves, round or 4-angled branches 

 with more or less swollen nodes, of wide distribution, but most abun- 

 dant in the tropics. Some of them are of the greatest economic im- 

 portance; coffee is the seed of Cofjea arahica Linnaeus; Cinchona bark, probably 

 the most important drug ever discovered, is derived from several members of the 

 genus Cinchona, natives of South America, now largely cultivated in the East 

 Indies. Ipecac, another ver}^ important drug, is also produced by a member of this 

 family, Cephalis Ipecacuanha (Brotero) A. Richard. 



The Rubiaceae have simple, opposite or whorled stipular leaves. The inflo- 

 rescence is cymose, often paniculate or capitate, the flowers perfect or polygamous, 

 regular or nearly so. The calyx is adnate to the ovar)', 4- or 5-toothed, decidu- 

 ous or persistent; corolla inserted near the top of the calyx-tube, 3- to 6-, rarely 

 lo-lobed ; stamens of the same number as the lobes of the corolla, alternate with 

 them and adnate to its tube; filaments somewhat elongated, distinct or united; 

 anthers opening lengthwise; pistil simple or compound, the ovary more or less 

 adnate to the calyx, 2- to 5-celled; styles united; stigmas 2 to many; ovules some- 

 times sohtary, erect, sometimes many. The fruit is a capsule, drupe or berrj^; 

 the seeds are often flattened on one side, with endosperm, the cotyledons ovate, 

 cordate or leaf-Hke. Our arborescent genera are: 



Fruit dry. 



Fruit capsular. 



Corolla-lobes oblong, recurved; stamens very little exserted. 



Corolla-lobes long-linear; stamens very much exserted. 

 Fruits forming a dense head. 

 Fruit fleshy. 



Berry large, 5 to 7 cm. long, with numerous seeds. 

 Drupe small, less than 2 cm. long. 



Stone I, slightly ridged; ovary 4- to 9-celled, ovules pendulous. 



Stones 2, prominently ridged; ovary 2-celled, ovules erect. 



1. Pinckneya. 



2. Exo sterna. 



3. Cephalanlhiis. 



4. Genipa. 



5. Guetlarda. 



6. Psychotria. 



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