Rubiaceae Family

Rubiaceae
Geographical distribution:
World: 118 genera and 760 species mainly
distributed in tropics and subtropics. Also
found in cultivation.
India: 40 genera and 100 species
Maharashtra: 21 Genera 58 Species

Vegetative Characters:
Habit: Helophytic, or mesophytic, or xerophytic,
or hydrophytic (Limnosipanea).
Trees (Neolamarckia, Haldina, Mitragyna) and
shrubs (Ixora), or lianas (Oxyceras), or herbs
(Neanotis) or climbing (Rubia).
Root: Taproot, branched.

Vegetative Characters:
Stem: Aerial, herbaceous, solid. Young stems tetragonal.
Plants very commonly characterized with ‘crystal sand’
(calcium oxalate crystals). Armed with prickles (Rubia).
Leaves: Leaves simple, opposite, decussate, stipulate;
stipules usually leaflike interpetiolar (Ixora).
Stomata typically paracytic.
Tetragonal stem Interpetiolar stipuleArmed stem

Reproductive Characters:
Inflorescence: Plants usually monoecious, or dioecious
(Coprosma). Flowers usually in cymes, or in heads (Neolamarckia,
Haldina, Mitragyna Morinda) or solitary (Gardenia). The terminal
inflorescence unit cymose.
Flower: bractetate, tetracyclic, epigynous, bisexual, pedicellate or
sessile, usually actinomorphic, sometimes zygomorphic and
bilabiate (Henriquezia). mostly 4–5-merous, often heterostylous.
Mytragyna parviflora
Adina cordifolia
Neolamarckia cadamba

Calyx: Sepals 4–5, gamosepalous, regular, fused to ovary wall,
valvate. Sometimes one of them is enlarged and brightly coloured
(Mussaenda) or enlarged in fruit (Nematostylis). Epicalyx present
(e.g. Fernelia, Flagenium).
Corolla: Petals 4–5, gamopetalous; tubular (Ixora), or
hypocrateriform (Pentas) with imbricate, or valvate, or contorted
aestivation.
Androecium: Stamens as many as petals, epipetalous or attached
at its very base in (Coprosma); opposite to sepals or alternating with
petals, polyandrous. Anthers dithecous, tetrasporangiate, introrse.
Pollen mostly shed as single grains or in tetrads (Gardenia).
Mussaenda Tetrasporangiate anthers

Reproductive Characters:
Gynoecium: 2–many carpellary, syncarpus, always
inferior, or semi-inferior (Synaptanthera),
unilocular (Gardenia), or bilocular (Plectronia) or
pentalocular (Meyenia) with 1–50 ovules per
locule. Styles single, simple, usually inserted or
rarely exserted (Pavetta siphonantha).
Placentation when unilocular, parietal; when two
or more locular, axile.
Pollination: Entomophilous.
Fruit: Capsules or a berry (Coffea), 1–30 seeded.
Seed: Seeds usually endospermic

Diagnostic characters:
• Opposite or whorled leaves with interpetiolar
stipule
• Epigynous flower
• Calyx and corolla united
• Stames as many as corolla lobes and alternating
with them
• Inferior ovary with axile placentation
Floral formula: Br ♀♂ K(4–5) C(4–5) A4–5 G (2–5)

Economic imp plants:
Catunaregam spinosa (Thunb.) Tirveng.
Coffea arabica L.
Haldina cordifolia (Roxb.) Ridsd.
Ixora pavetta Andr.
Meyna laxiflora Robyns
Morinda citrifolia L.
Spermadictyon suaveolens Roxb.
Rubia cordifolia
Hamelia petans
Neolamarckia cadamba (Roxb.) Boisser

Rubiaceae Family

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