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Psychotria (From psyche life referring)

(from psyche, life; referring to the powerful medicinal qualities possessed by several of the species). SYNS. Myrstiphyllum, Psychotrophum. Including Gloneria. ORD. Rubiaceoe. A genus comprising about 500 species of stove shrubs or small trees, rarely perennial herbs, erect, climbing, or twining, all inhabiting tropical regions. Flowers white, green, pink, or yellow, variously disposed; calyx tube short, limb rarely persistent; corolla funnel-shaped, tubular, or sub-campanulate, with a limb of five, rarely four or six, valvate lobes. Leaves opposite, very rarely ternately or quaternately whorled. The species are mostly unattractive, those described below being all that call for mention here. For culture, see Ixora.

P. chontalensis (Chontales). fl. white, in axillary panicles. fr. deep blue, usually from forty to sixty on a bunch, presenting a very handsome appearance. Nicaragua, 1870. A very ornamental herb, allied to P. cyanococca, but altogether more robust and hairy.

P. cyanococca (blue-fruited).* fl. white. fr. bright blue, ripening in winter, and disposed in dense clusters of from thirty to forty berries. l. elliptic, slightly undulated at the margin. Nicaragua, 1870. A dwarf herb useful as a decorative plant in winter. (F. d. S. 1938; F. M. 479.) P. jasminiflora (Jasmine-flowered).* fl. snowy-white, sub-sessile, in terminal, corymbose panicles; corolla funnel-shaped; tube terete, long, graceful; throat dilated; limb four-parted, spreading. l. shortly petiolate, coriaceous, ovate-oblong, shortly acuminate, entire, glabrous above, clothed with white tomentum beneath; margins sub-revolute. A beautiful shrub. (B. M. 6454; G. C. n. s., xii. 200; I. H. xviii. 60, under name of Gloneria jasminiflora.)