Guettarda nashii

Guettarda nashii Britton and Millsp.

Family: Rubiaceae

Habit: Guettarda nashii grows as a shrub to small tree up to 10 meters in height (typically 2-3 meters) with pubescent young stems. The slightly coriaceous leaves are arranged oppositely, with ovate stipules between the pubescent petioles.  The leaves are elliptic to obovate, to 12 cm long, with an acute leaf apex and an entire margin and truncate leaf base. The abaxial leaf surface covered with a fine layer of pubescence and prominent veins.

The complete, perfect, actinomorphic flowers are arranged in axillary cymes with up to 10 flowers each. The calyx has 2 fused brown sepals.  The corolla has 7 white, fused petals that are up to 3 cm long.  There are 7 stamens that are fused to the perianth forming a hypanthium. The ovary is inferior with a single locule and many ovules.  The fruit is a round white drupe at maturity.

Guettarda nashii is similar to G. krugii but has differences in the leaf shape, size and leaf base

Habitat: Guettarda nashii grows in Dry Broadleaf Evergreen Formation- Shrubland/Dwarf Shrublands (scrublands).

Distribution: Guettarda nashii is a single island endemic known only from Great Inagua.

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

Guettarda nashIi is Redlisted as Vulnerable by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) due to its small population size and restricted location.

https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-1.RLTS.T137680447A137682899.en