Sericanthe

Shrubs or small trees. Leaves usually deciduous, often dimorphic; domatia usually present; bacterial nodules usually present. Inflorescences axillary, solitary or few-flowered. Bracts and bracteoles cupular, arranged in a series of 2-4. Flowers 7-8-merous. Calyx covering the young corolla, splitting into lobes. Corolla white, salver-shaped. Ovary 2-locular. Fruit usually orange.

Shrub or small tree, 1-3 m tall. Leaves opposite, oblong-elliptic, 4-7 cm long, acuminate at the apex, somewhat glossy green, almost hairless above or with some scattered hairs, softly pubescent beneath; midrib hairy on both sides; hair-tuft domatia conspicuous or not, some bacterial nodules usually present, mostly along the basal part of the midrib. Stipules with a triangular limb, c. 2 mm long, sheathing at the base, tipped with slender awn, 1.5-4 mm long. Flowers in clusters at leafless axils, 6-8-merous, creamy-white, sweetly scented. Fruit c. 10 mm in diameter, sessile.

Locally frequent

Chimanimani Mts of Zimbabwe and Mozambique and nearby Sussundenga District in Mozambique.

Wikispecies has information related to Sericanthe.

Sericanthe is a genus of flowering plants in the family Rubiaceae. It is found in tropical and subtropical Africa. The genus was described by Elmar Robbrecht in 1978 based on the species in Neorosea, except for the type species, Neorosea jasminiflora, which went to Tricalysia. Bacterial leaf nodules are found in most of the species and the endophytic bacteria have been identified as Burkholderia.