RUBIACEAE  

Shrubs or small trees, with glabrous to densely velvety foliage. Leaves paired, shortly petiolate, often quite large, elliptic, oblong, or somewhat rounded; stipules broad, connate at base, apex with linear or subulate appendage, villous within. Flowers shortly petiolate; many together in axillary racemes or cymes; bracteate. Calyx glabrous, or hairy, often persistent, 5-lobed; lobes ovate, longer than tube; tube saucer-shaped. Corolla 5-lobed, yellow or greenish yellow, glabrous or hairy; lobes narrowly triangular, mostly reflexed; tube cylindric or campanulate, villous in throat, with a ring of deflexed hairs inside. Stamens 5, arising in corolla mouth; shortly exserted; filaments linear, shorter than anthers; anthers oblong or ovate, often apiculate. Ovary 5-locular, with a single pendulous ovule in each locule; style terete, sometimes swollen at base, shortly exserted; stigma thickened, cylindric, furrowed, minutely to distinctly 5-lobed at apex. Fruit large, indehiscent, +/- globose, often lobed or angular in dry state, usually 5-locular with 5 pyrenes, sometimes with persistent calyx, often edible. x = 11 (aneuploids, polyploidy).

Straggling to climbing shrubs. Leaves usually petiolate, lanceolate; stipules ovate, deciduous. Flowers terminal, usually in axillary, pedunculate, corymbose cymes; bracts present or 0; bracteoles present, often on pedicel. Calyx usually 5- or 6-lobed; lobes oblong, concave, +/- as long as or somewhat shorter than cylindric tube. Corolla white to yellowish, glabrous or bearded in throat; lobes +/- oblong, contorted; tube cylindrical, slightly shorter or longer than lobes. Stamens 5 or 6, arising in corolla throat, +/- included; filaments linear, shorter than anthers; anthers linear, minutely apiculate, obtusely sagittate. Disc annular. Ovary 2-locular, with 1 or more ovules in each locule on fleshy placentas; style terete, +/- exserted; pollen presenter narrowly spindle-shaped, bifid at apex only, rarely completely bifid. Fruit either 1-locular and 1-seeded or 2-locular with 1-several seeds in each locule, scarcely fleshy, usually pale green to green, white or black when mature. Seeds spherical with an irregular to +/- regular hilar cavity; surface reticulate. x = 11.

Annual herbs; stems prostrate, 4-angled, somewhat scabrid with small, deflexed prickles. Leaves and stipules similar, in whorls of 4-6, sessile; lower leaves obovate-cuspidate, soon withering; upper leaves oblanceolate, mucronate. Flowers in heads; heads axillary, pedunculate, with up to 10 connate leaves forming an involucre, 4- to 10-flowered. Calyx 4- to 6-toothed, persistent in fruit. Corolla 4-lobed, lilac, funnel-shaped with a long tube. Stamens 4. Ovary 2-locular with a single ovule in each locule; style filiform, bifid, branches unequal; stigmas capitate. Fruit of 2, 1-seeded mericarps. x = 11.

Shrubs or small trees, occasionally somewhat scrambling. Leaves opposite or occasionally in whorls of 3, petiolate; often with domatia in axils of nerves beneath; stipules connate at base, oblong or triangular, villous within, often +/- persistent, ending in a linear or subulate, +/- deciduous appendage. Flowers axillary, solitary or in 2-10(-15)-flowered, sometimes umbel-like cymes; peduncles and pedicels mostly well developed; bracts and sometimes bracteoles present, small. Calyx with tube +/- subglobose; limb short, truncate or shortly toothed. Corolla 5-lobed, white, cream, yellowish or greenish; lobes shorter than to longer than tube, acute to very distinctly long-apiculate or with a filiform appendage; tube cylindric, glabrous or hairy with a ring of deflexed hairs in middle. Stamens 5, slightly to distinctly exserted; anthers often mucronate or slightly appendaged, often papillate; filaments very short. Disc depressed, glabrous. Ovary 2-5(6)-locular; ovules 1 per locule, pendulous, attached to upper part of septum; style usually exserted, slightly swollen at base; stigmatic knob coroniform, 2-5-lobed at apex. Fruit a subglobose drupe, with (2-)4 or 5 pyrenes; pyrenes narrowly +/- reniform or boat-shaped, often pitted. x = 11 (1 report, polyploidy).

Unarmed shrubs or small trees. Leaves opposite or occasionally ternate, petiolate, elliptic; stipules ovate, hairy within. Flowers solitary, sessile. Calyx with tube usually turbinate to cylindrical; limb tube velvety inside; lobes present or 0, erect. Corolla 5-lobed, white with maroon streaks or speckles; lobes obovate-oblong; tube cylindric below, campanulate above, hairy within lower portions. Stamens 5, arising in corolla mouth, subexserted; anthers sessile, linear. Disc tumid. Ovary 1-locular, with 2 parietal placentas opposite each other and sometimes partially fused; ovules many; style glabrous, linear, exserted; pollen presenter narrowly fusiform to club-shaped with stigmatic surface confined to shortly bilobed apex. Fruit globose, sometimes crowned with persistent calyx limb. Seeds many, smooth, embedded in pulpy placental tissue, forming a solid mass. x = 11.