Coussareeae

Faramea cf. multiflora, copyright Scott Zona.

Belongs within: Rubioideae.

The Coussareeae are a small but morphologically diverse group of flowering plants found in the Americas, many of which have tetramerous flowers, flattened berry-like or thin-walled capsular fruits, and flattened seeds (Bremer & Manen 2000).

Characters (from Bremer & Manen 2000): Herbs (creeping in Coccocypselum), subshrubs, shrubs, or small trees. Stipules entire, cleft, as a ridge with appendages, or deeply bilobed. Flowers homo- or heterostylous, often tetramerous, white, blue, or bright yellow (Cruckshanksia, Oreopolus). Ovary 1–2-1ocular, with 1–2 or many (Coccocypselum) ovules per locule. Fruits often flattened (not Coccocypselum), fleshy, white (Coussarea) or often blue (Faramea, Coccocypselum) berries, schizocarps (Declieuxia), or thin-walled capsules (Cruckshanksia, Oreopolus), with 1–2 or many seeds, often flattened. Pollen 3-colporate or 2–4-porate. Chromosome basic number x = 10, 11? with 2- or 4-ploidy level.

<==Coussareeae [Coccocypseleae, Cruckshanksieae]
    |  i. s.: Cruckshanksia hymenodon BM00
    |         Oreopolus glacialis BM00
    |         Declieuxia fruticosa BM00
    |         Heterophyllaea BM00
    |         Schizocolea BM00
    |--Coccocypselum hirsutum BM00
    `--+--Coussarea BM00
       |    |--C. contracta BM00
       |    `--C. macrophylla BM00
       `--Faramea BM00
            |--F. multiflora BM00
            `--F. porophylla BM00

*Type species of generic name indicated

REFERENCES

[BM00] Bremer, B., & J.-F. Manen. 2000. Phylogeny and classification of the subfamily Rubioideae (Rubiaceae). Plant Systematics and Evolution 225: 43–72.