Paracarphalea Razafimandimbison, Ferm, B.Bremer & Kårehed, 2016

Ferm, Julia, Kårehed, Jesper, Bremer, Birgitta & Razafimandimbison, Sylvain G., 2016, Paracarphalea, a new genus of the coffee family segregated from the Malagasy endemic genus Carphalea (Rubiaceae, Rubioideae, Knoxieae), Phytotaxa 263 (2), pp. 98-112 : 107

Paracarphalea Razafimandimbison, Ferm, B.Bremer & Kårehed , gen. nov.

Type of the genus:— Paracarphalea kirondron (Baillon) Razafimandimbison, Ferm, B.Bremer & Kårehed (≡ Carphalea kirondron Baillon 1878: 188 )

Diagnosis: — Paracarphalea differs from Carphalea in red to dark pink calyces enlarged before anthesis with one calyx lobe larger (calycophyll) or all lobes variable in size and shape in contrast to white to whitish-pink calyces either with all lobes (sub-)equal, with one lobe expanded (calycophyll) and the others minute, or all lobes minute and in fruit expanded into a five-lobed structure.

Shrubs or trees. Stipules with 1–5 colleter-tipped setae. Leaves decussate or occasionally in whorls of 3, petiolate to (sub)sessile, glabrous or variously pubescent. Inflorescences thyrsoid or thyrso-paniculate, ± flat-topped or ± headlike ( P. angulata ). Flowers 4–5-merous, distylous, rarely tristylous. Calyx lobes bright red, with one lobe larger, petaloid (calycophylls), or with lobes variable in size and shape in respect to each other ( P. angulata ), expanded at anthesis, persistent in fruit (pteridophyll). Corolla reddish outside, creamy-white inside; tube narrowly cylindrical; anthers exerted in short-styled flowers; stigmas exerted in long-styled flowers; rarely both stigmas and anthers exerted. Ovary 2(–4) locular; each locule with a placenta on a rod-like stalk arising from the base of the locule, placenta with several anatropous ovules per locule. Fruit obconic, indehiscent, dry, hard, 1–2 seeded. Generic description based on Puff’s (1988) data on Carphalea Sect. Carphalea .

Number of species: —Three.

Distribution: — Madagascar.