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Psydrax Mutimushii
''Psydrax'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Rubiaceae. It consists of trees, shrubs, and a few lianas in the paleotropics. Taxonomy The genus was named by Joseph Gaertner in 1788 in his book, '' De Fructibus et Seminibus Plantarum''. ''Psydrax'' is a Greek word meaning a blister or bump. Gaertner may have chosen this name to refer to the warty fruit or the pimply seeds of some species. The name was hardly ever used after Gaertner proposed it because most authors placed these species in '' Canthium''. ''Psydrax'' was reinstated in 1985 and 37 African species were transferred to it from '' Canthium''. The monospecific genus ''Mesoptera'' was also sunk into ''Psydrax''. ''Psydrax'' was shown to be monophyletic in a molecular phylogenetic study. It is closely related to ''Afrocanthium'', '' Cyclophyllum'' and '' Keetia'', genera that have been segregated from '' Canthium''. Species * '' Psydrax acutiflora'' (Hiern) Bridson * '' Psydrax ammophila'' S.T.Reynol ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Psydrax Odorata
''Psydrax odorata'', known as ''alahee'' in Hawaiian, is a species of flowering shrub or small tree in the coffee family, Rubiaceae. It is native to the Pacific Islands, New Guinea and Australia. Description The species range from in height, has a spread of , and a trunk width of up to . The leaves are glossy green in colour, are up to long and elliptic. The fruits of the plant are quite round, are black in colour and 3/8 wide. Ecology The fruits produce many seeds which are often attacked by the larvae of '' Alucita objurgatella'', a species of the many-plumed moths. Habitat The species can be found growing in dry shrub land and in dry to moist forests at elevations of up to . Uses Native Hawaiians used the very hard wood of ''alahee'' to make ''koi alahee'' (adzes for cutting softer woods such as ''Erythrina sandwicensis''), ''ōō'' (digging sticks), and ''o'' (short spears). A black dye was made from the leaves A leaf (plural, : leaves) is any of the principa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |