Lasianthus cyanocarpus

Lasianthus cyanocarpus
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Embryophytes
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Gentianales
Family: Rubiaceae
Genus: Lasianthus
Species:
L. cyanocarpus
Binomial name
Lasianthus cyanocarpus

Lasianthus cyanocarpus is a species of flowering plant in the family Rubiaceae. It is a tropical understory shrub distributed across parts of South and Southeast Asia, including India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines.[1][2]

Description

Lasianthus cyanocarpus is an evergreen shrub or small understory plant typically occurring in moist tropical forests. The species bears opposite leaves with entire margins and interpetiolar stipules characteristic of the genus Lasianthus. The inflorescences are axillary, with small white tubular flowers. The fruits are fleshy berries that become bluish to dark blue on maturity, a feature reflected in the specific epithet cyanocarpus, meaning "blue-fruited".[3][4]

Taxonomy

The species was first described by the Scottish botanist William Jack in the early nineteenth century.[5] It belongs to the tribe Lasiantheae within the family Rubiaceae.[6]

Several regional floras and taxonomic revisions have recognised the species as morphologically variable across its range.[7]

Distribution and habitat

Lasianthus cyanocarpus occurs in tropical evergreen and semi-evergreen forests, often in shaded understory habitats.[1] In India it has been recorded from the Western Ghats, northeastern India, and the Andaman Islands.[8][9]

The species is also widely distributed in Sri Lanka and throughout Malesia.[1][10]

Ecology

The fleshy fruits are likely dispersed by birds and small mammals, as in many other species of Lasianthus.[11] The plant forms part of the shaded forest understory vegetation in humid tropical ecosystems.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Lasianthus cyanocarpus Jack". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
  2. ↑ "Lasianthus cyanocarpus Jack". GBIF. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
  3. ↑ Hooker, J.D. (1880). The Flora of British India. Vol. 3. London: L. Reeve & Co. pp. 178–210.
  4. ↑ Wong, K.M. (1989). "A revision of Malaysian Lasianthus (Rubiaceae)". Sandakania. 3: 1–107.
  5. ↑ Jack, William (1823). Malayan Miscellanies. Bencoolen. pp. 1–75.
  6. ↑ Bremer, Birgitta; Eriksson, Tomas (2009). "Time tree of Rubiaceae: phylogeny and dating the family, subfamilies, and tribes". International Journal of Plant Sciences. 170 (6): 766–793. doi:10.1086/599077.
  7. ↑ Wong, K.M. (1989). "A revision of Malaysian Lasianthus (Rubiaceae)". Sandakania. 3: 1–107.
  8. ↑ Deb, D.B. (1989). The Flora of Tripura State. Vol. 2. Today & Tomorrow's Printers and Publishers. pp. 36–38.
  9. ↑ Gamble, J.S. (1921). Flora of the Presidency of Madras. Vol. 2. Adlard & Son. pp. 623–624.
  10. ↑ Nair, N.C., ed. (1986). Flora of Tamil Nadu Series I: Analysis. Vol. 2. Botanical Survey of India. pp. 220–222.
  11. ↑ Corlett, Richard T. (2017). "Frugivory and seed dispersal by vertebrates in tropical and subtropical Asia: An update". Global Ecology and Conservation. 11: 1–22. doi:10.1016/j.gecco.2017.04.007.
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