Rubiaceae
Rubiaceae Juss., Gen. Pl. 196. 1789. nom. cons. 'Madder Family'
Characteristic Features:
Trees, shrubs or herbs
Leaves simple, entire, usually opposite or decussate, with connate stipules which have mucilage secreting colleters
Inflorescence usually cyme
Flowers bisexual, penta or tetramerous, dichlamydeous
Stamens five
Ovary inferior, often with an apical nectariferous disk, ovules with a funicular obturator
Diversity:
World- 609 genera 13,673 species (The Plant List 2013); 590 genera, 13,620 species (Christenhusz & Byng 2016); 576 genera, 12000 species (Mabberely 2017); 588 genera, 13822 species (Roskov et al. 2021)
India - 113 genera 616 species (Karthikeyan 2000); 106 genera, 614 species (BSI, 2021)
Indian Himalaya- 70 genera, 261 species (Singh et al. 2019)
Uttarakhand - 35 genera 76 species (Uniyal et al. 2007)
General Characters:
Rubiaceae in POWO 2021 (Plants of the World Online)
Rubiaceae in Wikipedia
Systematic Position of the Family in Different Systems of Classifications:
Systematic position in 2-Superkingdom, 7-Kingdom classification of Ruggiero et al. (2015)
Super Kingdom- Eukaryota, Kingdom- Plantae, Subkingdom- Viridiplantae, Infrakingdom- Streptophyta, Superphylum- Embryophyta, Phylum- Tracheophyta, Subphylum- Spermatophytina, Superclass- Angiospermae, Class- Magnoliopsida, Superorder- Asteranae, Order- Gentianales
Bentham & Hooker (1862-83)
Class : Dicotyledons
Subclass : Gamopetalae
Series : Inferae
Orders : Rubiales
Engler & Prantl (1887-1915)
Kingdom : Plantae
Division : Embryophyta Siphonogama
Subdivision : Angiospermae
Class : Dicotyledoneae
Subclass : Metachlamydeae
Order : Rubiales
Hutchinson (1973)
Phylum : Angiospermae
Subphylum: Dicotyledones
Division : Lignosae
Order : Rubiales
Cronquist (1988)
Division : Magnoliophyta
Class : Magnoliopsida
Subclass : Asteridae
Order : Rubiaceae
Thorne & Reveal (2007)
Class : Magnoliopsida
Subclass : Lamiidae
Super Order: Lamianae
Order : Rubiales
Takhtajan (2009)
Phylum : Magnoliophyta
Class : Magnoliopsida
Subclass : Lamiidae
Super Order: Lamianae
Order : Rubiales
Reveal (2012)
Class : Equisetopsida
Subclass : Magnoliidae
Super Order: Laminae
Order : Gentianales
APG-IV (2016)
Clade : Angiosperms
Clade : Eudicots
Clade : Core Eudicots
Clade : Superasterids
Clade : Asterids
Clade : Lamiids
Order : Gentianales
Shipunov (2020)
Class : Angiospermae
Subclass : Asteridae
Super Order : Asteranae
Order : Gentianales
Suborder : Rubiineae
Genera & Species in Pantnagar
To see larger images please click on the names
~~~Wild Flora~~~
Neolamarckia cadamba (Roxb.) Bosser
Catunaregam spinosa (Thunb.) Tirveng.
Tamilnadia uliginosa (Retz.) Tirveng. & Sastre
***Cultivated Flora***
Hamelia patens Jacq.
Vernacular name: Hamelia, Humming bird bush, Redhead, Scarlet bush, Texas firecracker bush
Nativity: Tropical and Subtropical America (POWO, 2019)
Common Characteristics: Evergreen shrubs. Leaves whorled of 4, elliptic, ovate-oblong, entire, acute or acuminate. Inflorescence terminal corymbiform compound cymes. Flowers tubiform, orange or red.
Flowering period: Throughout the year
Propagation Methods: Grown by cuttings (Dave’s Garden)
Photographed @ Yamunotri Bhawan
Ixora chinensis Lam.
Vernacular name: Chinese Ixora
Nativity: China to Indo-China and Philippines (POWO, 2019)
Common Characteristics: Small shrubs. Leaves oblong to elliptic- obovate, subsessile or short petioled. Inflorescence branched corymbose cymes, central flowers sessil., Corolla lobes obtuse.
Flowering period: February to November
Propagation Methods: Propagated by stem cutting (The Spruce)
Photographed @ Ta Colony
Ixora coccinea L.
Vernacular name: Ixora, Jungle Geranium, West Indian Jasmine (English); Rajana, Rangan (Hindi)
Nativity: India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh to Indo-China (POWO, 2019)
Common Characteristics: Evergreen shrubs. Leaves oblong, sessile. Flower in terminal cymes, corolla lobes acute.
Flowering period: March to November
Propagation Methods: Propagated by stem cuttings (The Spruce)
Photographed @ CBSH
Pseudomussaenda flava Verdc.
Vernacular name: Dwarf Mussaenda, White wing
Nativity: Nigeria to Ethiopia and Kenya (POWO, 2019)
Common Characteristics: Evergreen shrubs. Leaves oblong- lanceolate, apex acuminate. Inflorescence a corymb. Flower star shaped, yellow and surrounded by pale yellow- creamy bracts.
Flowering period: May to November
Propagation Methods: Propagated by stem cuttings (Top Tropicals)
Photographed @ Yamunotri Bhawan
Mussaenda philippica A.Rich.
Vernacular name: Bangkok rose, White mussaenda (English); Mithai Phool (Hindi)
Nativity: Philippines (POWO, 2019)
Common Characteristics: Evergreen shrubs. Leaves opposite and in whorl of 3. Flowers in terminal clusters, corolla yellow, tubular, sepals much enlarged, white or apricot, number and colour varied in some cultivar.
Flowering period: Almost entire year
Propagation Methods: Propagated by stem cuttings (Dave’s Garden)
Photographed @ Garden of Registrar Office