Rubiaceae is a family of flowering plants, commonly known as the coffee, madder, or bedstraw family. It consists of terrestrial trees, shrubs, lianas, or herbs that are recognizable by simple, opposite leaves with interpetiolar stipules and sympetalous actinomorphic flowers. The family contains about 13,500 species in about 620 genera, which makes it the fourth-largest angiosperm family. Rubiaceae has a cosmopolitan distribution; however, the largest species diversity is concentrated in the tropics and subtropics. Economically important genera include Coffea, the source of coffee, Cinchona, the source of the antimalarial alkaloid quinine, ornamental cultivars, and historically some dye plants.
Rauvolfia is a genus of evergreen trees and shrubs, commonly known as devil peppers, in the family Apocynaceae. The genus is named to honor Leonhard Rauwolf. The genus can mainly be found in tropical regions of Africa, Asia, Latin America, and various oceanic islands.
Sterculia is a genus of flowering plants in the mallow family, Malvaceae: subfamily Sterculioideae. Members of the genus are colloquially known as tropical chestnuts. Sterculia may be monoecious or dioecious, and its flowers unisexual or bisexual.
Lasianthus is a genus of flowering plants in the family Rubiaceae. They are tropical subshrubs, shrubs, or rarely, small trees. They inhabit the understory of primary forests.
Pavetta is a genus of flowering plants in the family Rubiaceae. It comprises about 360 species of trees, evergreen shrubs and sub-shrubs. It is found in woodlands, grasslands and thickets in sub-tropical and tropical Africa and Asia. The plants are cultivated for their simple but variable leaves, usually opposite but also occur in triple whorls. The leaves are often membranous with dark bacterial nodules. Pavetta has small, white, tubular flowers, sometimes salviform or funnel-shaped with 4 spreading petal lobes. The flowers are carried on terminal corymbs or cymes.
Rustia is a genus of flowering plants in the family Rubiaceae. There are 17 species distributed in tropical Central and South America. They are shrubs and trees up to 15 metres (49 ft) tall.
Portlandia is a genus of flowering plants in the coffee family, Rubiaceae. Members of the genus are endemic to Jamaica.
Duroia is a genus of flowering plants in the family Rubiaceae. The genus is found from Costa Rica to tropical South America.
Retiniphyllum is a genus of flowering plants in the family Rubiaceae and contains 20 species. It is the only genus in the tribe Retiniphylleae. The representatives are shrubs or small trees that grow in white sand soils in tropical South America. They are mainly distributed in the Guayana Region (Venezuela) but also occur in the Amazon Basin, the eastern Andes and central and eastern Brasil.
Chomelia is a genus of flowering plants in the family Rubiaceae. It is native to Mexico, Central America, the West Indies, and much of South America as far south as Argentina.
Coussarea is a genus of flowering plants in the family Rubiaceae. The genus is found from southern Mexico to tropical America.
Declieuxia is a genus of flowering plants in the family Rubiaceae. The genus is found in tropical America.
Ixora chinensis, commonly known as Chinese ixora, is a species of plant of the genus Ixora.
Eumachia is a genus of flowering plant in the family Rubiaceae. Its species are native to tropical and subtropical regions worldwide. The genus was established by Augustin Pyramus de Candolle in 1830.
