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