Psychotria is a plant genus

Genus

In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...

 of 1900 species in the family Rubiaceae

Rubiaceae

The Rubiaceae is a family of flowering plants, variously called the coffee family, madder family, or bedstraw family. The group contains many commonly known plants, including the economically important coffee , quinine , and gambier , and the horticulturally valuable madder , west indian jasmine ,...

. Members of the genus are low tree

Tree

A tree is a perennial woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or trunk with clear apical dominance. A minimum height specification at maturity is cited by some authors, varying from 3 m to...

s in tropical forests. The distinction between Psychotria and the genus Cephaelis

Cephaelis

Cephaelis, also written Cephaëlis, is a genus of plant in the family Rubiaceae.A notable species is Cephaelis peruviana. Many species have been moved to Psychotria....

are not well known and many species

Species

In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...

 were formerly placed there.

Very conspicuous is that several species have dark spots on their leaves. These spots are nodules and hold endosymbiotic bacteria. Many species produce important chemicals, such Psychotria ipecacuanha

Psychotria ipecacuanha

Carapichea ipecacuanha is a species of flowering plant in the Rubiaceae family. Its common name, Ipecacuanha, is derived from the Tupi i-pe-kaa-guéne, which translates to "road-side sick-making plant". The plant has been discussed under a variety of synonyms over the years by various botanists...

or the number of DMT

Dimethyltryptamine

N,N-Dimethyltryptamine is a naturally occurring psychedelic compound of the tryptamine family. DMT is found in several plants, and also in trace amounts in humans and other mammals, where it is originally derived from the essential amino acid tryptophan, and ultimately produced by the enzyme INMT...

-containing taxa, namely Psychotria viridis

Psychotria viridis

Psychotria viridis is a shrub from the coffee family, Rubiaceae. It has many local names, including Chacruna and Chacrona ....

. Others are rare or even nearly extinct due to deforestation

Deforestation

Deforestation is the removal of a forest or stand of trees where the land is thereafter converted to a nonforest use. Examples of deforestation include conversion of forestland to farms, ranches, or urban use....

, mainly species of central Africa

Africa

Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...

 and the Pacific.

Selected species

Formerly placed here

• Geophila macropoda (Ruiz & Pav.) DC. (as P. macropoda Ruiz & Pav.)
• Geophila repens (L.) I.M.Johnst. (as P. herbacea Jacq.)
• Isertia longifolia (Hoffmanns. ex Roem. & Schult.) K.Schum. (as P. longifolia Hoffmanns. ex Roem. & Schult.)
• Notopleura uliginosa (Sw.) Bremek. (as P. uliginosa Sw.)
• Palicourea aeneofusca (Müll. Arg.) Standl. (as P. aeneofusca Müll.Arg.)
• Palicourea crocea (Sw.) Schult. (as P. crocea Sw.)

External links

• World Checklist of Rubiaceae