Ernodea cokeri

Ernodea cokeri Britt. ex Coker

Family: Rubiaceae

Habit: Ernodea cokeri grows as a low shrub to 25 cm in height along the ground outwards to 1 meter.  The leaves are arranged oppositely with no petiole, to 3 cm long, linear with an acute leaf apex and an entire margin. There is only a single nerve vein visible.

The complete, perfect, actinomorphic flowers arise solitarily from the leaf axils.  The calyx has 4 green unfused sepals. The corolla has 4 fused red (occasionally pink) petals that form a tube 4-5 times the length of the calyx.  There are 4 stamens fused to the mouth of the corolla tube.  The ovary is inferior with 2 locules.  The fruit is a 1 or 2-seeded drupe/berry that is golden yellow at maturity with the remnants of the calyx as long or longer than the length of the fruit.

Habitat: Ernodea cokeri grows in Pine Woodlands.

Distribution: Ernodea cokeri occurs in the northern islands in the Lucayan Archipelago specifically the pine islands and in Florida.

Medicinal/Cultural/Economic usage: Ernodea cokeri is not known to be used medicinally in the Lucayan Archipelago.