Ernodea millspaughii

Ernodea millspaughii Britt.

Family: Rubiaceae

Habit: Ernodea millspaughii grows as a small shrub to 75 cm in height.  The leaves are arranged oppositely with no petiole, to 5 cm long, ovate to oblanceolate with an mucronate leaf apex and an entire margin.  There is a single visible vein.

The complete, perfect, actinomorphic flowers arise solitarily from the leaf axils.  The calyx has 4 green triangular unfused sepals. The corolla has 4 fused, white or 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.

Habitat: Ernodea millspaughii grows in sand substrate typically in dune systems as well as in open Dry Broadleaf Evergreen Formation – Shrubland that are on a sand substrate.

Distribution: Ernodea millspaughii is an endemic species only known to occur throughout the Lucayan Archipelago including the Turks and Caicos Islands.

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