Psychotria marginata

Psychotria marginata
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Gentianales
Family: Rubiaceae
Genus: Psychotria
Species:
P. marginata
Binomial name
Psychotria marginata
Synonyms
  • Myrstiphyllum marginatum (Sw.) Hitchc. (1893)
  • Uragoga marginata (Sw.) Kuntze (1891)
  • Psychotria nicaraguensis Benth. (1853)
  • Uragoga nicaraguensis (Benth.) Kuntze (1891)

Psychotria marginata is a tropical shrub in the gardenia family (Rubiaceae) and native to Central America.[1]

Distribution and habitat

The species occurs from southern Mexico into tropical South America and grows primarily in wet biomes.[1]

Ecology

Leaves feature pits approximately 1 mm in width that offer habitat to aggressive mites which protect the leaves against other herbivorous species. Dry-season and wet-season leaves are superficially similar but have substantial physiological differences, as the former require only half as much water to create sugar.[2]

References

  1. ^ a b "Psychotria marginata Sw". Plants of the World Online.
  2. ^ Ziegler, Christian; Leigh Jr., Egbert Giles (2002). A Magic Web. New York: Oxford Univ. Press. p. 94. ISBN 0-19-514328-0.


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