Rubiaceae Genipa americana L.

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Other images of the same specimen :

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Keywords in this picture :

• Foliage
• Lamina leaf blade
• Vegetative
• Venation
• Leaf parts
• Leaf
• Plant parts

Places where this species can be found :

• Levera National Park - GRENADA
• La Sagesse - GRENADA

Species information

Description
Tree to 14m, smooth, light grey. Large, opposite, obovate leaves, 10-35 cm long , glossy, hairless, dark green on the upper surface. stipules broad, pointed, triangular, c. 1cm long. Corolla tube 3cm long with 1-2cm long lobes, Fruit 10cm long, barrel shaped, leaving an indelible dark stain, with many flat 5mm seeds and fleshy pulp and seeds.

Interest
Genipa - Latinised version of Guyanan vernacular name. Oroginally from S.America, now widely cultivated in the netortopics. Unripe fts were used for body painting, e.g. Choco women in S.America painted their whole body black during their initiation period (Burkill, 1935 however, states the dye is yellow). The pulp inside the leathery skin is edible when almost decayed.

Specimen information

Collection Date
25/11/1999

Collector
W.D. Hawthorne, C. Hughes

Specimen Number
231

Location
NE tip of Grenada, on dry slopes immediately above and E of Levera beach towards to headlands leading to Bedford Point.

Notes
5m tree with a short, 2m clear bole, then heavy, whorled, ascending branches and a round crown. Outer bark silvery-grey, smooth. Slash, chunky, soft, fibrous with gritty orange layers. Triangular stipules rapidly turning brown. Leaves: upper surface - midrib flat, but broad and sl. guttered, laterals and some tertiary veins impressed; lower surface - white and powdery in appearance, all veins visible - looks reticulate. 'Wood used for carving and tools, doesn't splinter'. Infrequent in coastal dry scrub woodland. (RHS colour code: Leaf upper =147A, below=147B)

Coordinates
Latitude: 12.130000 N   Longitude: 61.360000 W   Altitude: 10