PlantaeDB Logo
Login Sign-up

Genus Sericanthe in Family Rubiaceae

In botanical taxonomy, a genus (plural genera) is a rank used to group closely related species within a family. In the hierarchy, genus sits below family and above species.

Genera are defined by shared morphological, anatomical, and genetic characteristics (for example, features of flowers, fruits, seeds, or leaves) that indicate a close evolutionary relationship among the species they contain.

Each genus can include one or more species. Examples include Rosa (roses) and Solanum (nightshades, including tomato and eggplant).

Do you wish to read more about plant taxonomy? Click here!

Genus Description

Suggest a correction!

Sericanthe (Robbr.) is a genus of the coffee family (Rubiaceae) comprising about twelve species of shrubs and small trees. Its members are confined to the rainforests of West and Central Africa, ranging from the Guineo‑Congolian block to the Congo Basin, up to 1,300 m (Robbrecht & De Block, 1996; POWO, 2024). The nomenclatural type, Sericanthe le‑testui (Robbr.), was designated in the original protologue (Robbrecht, 1995).

Sericanthe bears opposite, simple leaves that are entire, glabrous above but sericeous beneath. Stipules are interpetiolar and bear colleters. Inflorescences are axillary or terminal thyrses with small white to cream flowers. Corolla is tubular with five lobes, tube narrow and sericeous inside, glabrous outside; five epipetalous stamens insert near the mouth. Inferior ovary has 2–5 locules with axile placentation and matures into a fleshy drupe containing 2–5 pyrenes, each with one seed (Robbrecht & De Block, 1996).

Species diversity concentrates in the Guineo‑Congolian block, where six of the twelve Sericanthe species are endemic to Cameroon, Gabon, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Robbrecht & De Block, 1996; WFO, 2024). Additional taxa occur in the coastal lowlands of Sierra Leone and in the Albertine Rift highlands up to 1,300 m. Most Sericanthe species inhabit understorey of evergreen rainforest, occasionally extending into secondary edges, reflecting a West–Central African rainforest corridor.

Floral traits indicate generalist pollination by small bees, flies and lepidopterans, as the shallow corolla tubes and light‑colored flowers attract a broad insect suite (Robbrecht & De Block, 1996). Fleshy drupes are consumed by birds and mammals, promoting endozoochorous seed dispersal (Govaerts et al., 2021). Chromosome counts for several Sericanthe species consistently show x = 11 (Goldblatt & Johnson, 2014; Robbrecht & De Block, 1996), matching the pattern in tribe Coptospermeae.

In contemporary classifications, Sericanthe belongs to tribe Coptospermeae, subfamily Cinchonoideae (APG IV, 2016). Molecular data confirm its monophyly and separate status from Coptosperma (Davis et al., 2015). Van Welzen (2000) once synonymised it under Coptosperma, but that view is now considered outdated, and Sericanthe is retained as distinct (Robbrecht & De Block, 1996; Davis et al., 2015).

Sericanthe has little economic use; a few species are cultivated in African botanical gardens for their fragrant flowers, but none are harvested for timber or crops (WFO, 2024).

Deforestation, logging, and agriculture threaten many Sericanthe species; at least three are Endangered. Focused field surveys and ex situ conservation are urgent (Robbrecht & De Block, 1996; WFO, 2024).

Pick a Species to see its components: