Botanical Family · Gentianales
Rubiaceae
Coffee/Madder family
143 speciesOrder Gentianales8+ well-known plants
A cosmopolitan family best known for coffee (Coffea) and quinine (Cinchona). Predominantly tropical trees, shrubs, and herbs with characteristic opposite leaves and interpetiolar stipules. The family includes important medicines and dyes.
Browse all 143 species ↓
Opposite or whorled leaves with a small stipule between each pair, and 4- or 5-parted tubular flowers above an inferior ovary.
Includes coffee — the stimulant alkaloids in Coffea are typical of the family's broader tendency to accumulate bitter, alkaloid-rich compounds.
Which Rubiaceae species is this?
Answer what you can see and narrow it down to a single Rubiaceae species.
HabitWhat is the plant's growth habit?
Climbing vine
Herb
Shrub
Tree
Flower ColorWhat color are the flowers?
Green
Yellow
Leaf SurfaceWhat does the leaf surface feel or look like?
Glabrous
Glabrous (smooth, hairless)
Hirsute (coarsely hairy)
Pubescent (softly hairy)
Flower ColorWhat color are the flowers?
Pink
Purple
White
Leaf SurfaceWhat does the leaf surface feel or look like?
Glabrous (smooth, hairless)
Hirsute
Hirsute (coarsely hairy)
Pubescent
Pubescent (softly hairy)
Tomentose (woolly, matted hairs)
Flower ColorWhat color are the flowers?
Orange
Red
White
Yellow
ThornsDoes the plant have thorns?
No thorns
Yes
Flower ColorWhat color are the flowers?
White
Yellow
Leaf SurfaceWhat does the leaf surface feel or look like?
Glabrous
Glabrous (smooth, hairless)
Pubescent
Pubescent (softly hairy)
Flower ColorWhat color are the flowers?
White
Yellow
Flower ColorWhat color are the flowers?
Pink
White
Yellow
How to recognise the Rubiaceae family
- 01
Opposite leaves with interpetiolar stipules
- 02
4–5-merous tubular flowers
- 03
Includes Coffee, Gardenia, Ixora
Typical leaf characters
Characters typical of the family — individual species can vary.
Typical flower & fruit
- Flower symmetryActinomorphic (radially symmetrical)
- InflorescenceCyme
- FruitBerry
Typical of the family — flowering plants only; species can vary.
Notable members
HalduAdina cordifoliaKadamAnthocephalus chinensisPanama RoseArachnothryx leucophyllaSouth-Indian Corn-CockleArgostemma courtallenseBasil-Like Button WeedBorreria ocymoidesNarrow Leaved CanthiumCanthium angustifoliumCarray Cheddle, Coromandel Canthium, Honey-Thorn, Wild JessamineCanthium parviflorumEmetic Nut, Common Emetic Nut, Mountain PomegranateCatunaregam spinosa
All 143 species in RUBIACEAE
- HalduAdina cordifolia
- KadamAnthocephalus chinensis
- Panama RoseArachnothryx leucophylla
- South-Indian Corn-CockleArgostemma courtallense
- Basil-Like Button WeedBorreria ocymoides
- Narrow Leaved CanthiumCanthium angustifolium
- Carray Cheddle, Coromandel Canthium, Honey-Thorn, Wild JessamineCanthium parviflorum
- Emetic Nut, Common Emetic Nut, Mountain PomegranateCatunaregam spinosa
- Chassalia Curviflora Var. OphioxyloidesChassalia curviflora var. ophioxyloides
- QuinineCinchona calisaya
- Red CinchonaCinchona succirubra
- Arabian Coffee, CoffeeCoffea arabica
- Bengal CoffeeCoffea benghalensis
- Robusta CoffeeCoffea canephora
- Liberian CoffeeCoffea liberica
- Robusta CoffeeCoffea robusta
- Creeping DentellaDentella repens
- Cumbi-Gum Tree, Dekamella-Gum Gardenia, Gummy Cape JasmineGardenia gummifera
- Cape Jasmine, Bush Gardenia, Bunga CineGardenia jasminoides
- Indian BoxwoodGardenia latifolia
- Brilliant Gardenia, Gummy Gardenia, White Emetic NutGardenia resinifera
- Spinous Cape JasmineGardenia turgida
- Snake PennywortGeophila repens
- Beach GardeniaGuettarda speciosa
- HalduHaldina cordifolia
- Hummingbird Bush, Scarlet Bush, Fire BushHamelia patens
- Jointed HedyotisHedyotis articularis subsp. santapaui
- Small-Flowered KohautiaHedyotis aspera
- Blue HedyotisHedyotis cyanantha
- Purple HedyotisHedyotis purpurascens
- Kadwa SiridHymenodictyon obovatum
- Bridal Couch Tree, KuthanHymenodictyon orixense
- Small-Flowered Ixora, Torch TreeIxora arborea
- GorbaleIxora brachiata
- Red Ixora, Jungle 'Geranium', Flame Of The Woods, Sacred Ixora, Jungle Flame Ixora, Needle Flower, Sacred IxoraIxora coccinea
- Rosy IxoraIxora elongata
- White Jungle FlameIxora finlaysoniana
- Black IxoraIxora nigricans
- Large-Flower IxoraIxora notoniana
- Torch TreeIxora pavetta
- Many-Flowered IxoraIxora polyantha
- Sumatra KnoxiaKnoxia sumatrensis
- Tapering-Leaf Wool-FlowerLasianthus acuminatus
- Jack's Wool-FlowerLasianthus jackianus
- MuynaMeyna laxiflora
- Tropical Girdle PodMitracarpus villosus
- True Kadamb, Kaim, Corn Snapdragon TreeMitragyna parvifolia
- Narrow-Leaf MorindaMorinda angustifolia
- Noni Tree, Great Morinda, Indian MulberryMorinda citrifolia
- Indian MulberryMorinda coreia
- Morinda TreeMorinda pubescens
- Morinda TreeMorinda pubescens var. stenophylla
- Mapoon Bush, Yellow-DyeMorinda reticulata
- Morinda tinctoria
- Common Indian MulberryMorinda umbellata
- Red-Leaved MussaendaMussaenda erythrophylla
- SchizomussaendaMussaenda frondosa
- White FlagMussaenda glabrata
- Lanceleaf StarvioletNeanotis lancifolia
- Delta-Petal StarvioletNeanotis montholonii
- Racemose StarvioletNeanotis rheedei
- Tubeflower StarvioletNeanotis tubulosa
- Kadamb TreeNeolamarckia cadamba
- Purple Neo-CheesewoodNeonauclea purpurea
- Kerala NeurocalyxNeurocalyx calycinus
- Blue Diamond FlowerOldenlandia affinis
- Flattop Nille GrassOldenlandia corymbosa
- Cluster Flower Mille Grains, Wild CorianderOldenlandia herbacea
- PankiOldenlandia pumila
- Dye Root, Chay RootOldenlandia umbellata
- Indian Snake Root, Mongoose PlantOphiorrhiza mungos
- Wrinkled-Leaf Snake RootOphiorrhiza rugosa
- Hill Pavetta, Indian SorrelPavetta indica
- Tubeflower PavettaPavetta siphonantha
- Egyptian Starcluster, Pentas, Star Flower, Star ClusterPentas lanceolata
- Yellow MussaendaPseudomussaenda flava
- Dalzell's PsychotriaPsychotria dalzellii
- South Indian Wild CoffeePsychotria flavida
- Malabar PsychotriaPsychotria truncata
- Ceylon BoxwoodPsydrax dicoccos var. dicoccos
- Umbelled CanthiumPsydrax umbellata
- TamilnadiaRandia uliginosa
- False Ipecac, Undulated IpecacRichardia scabra
- Sweet-Smelling RondeletiaRondeletia odorata
- Indian MadderRubia cordifolia
- Indian SaprosmaSaprosma glomeratum
- Jointed ButtonweedSpermacoce articularis
- Shaggy ButtonweedSpermacoce hispida
- Oval-Leaf False-ButtonweedSpermacoce latifolia
- Pacific False ButtonweedSpermacoce mauritiana
- Shrubby False ButtonweedSpermacoce verticillata
- Forest ChampaSpermadictyon suaveolens
- Asiatic TarennaTarenna asiatica
- Mountain WendlandiaWendlandia thyrsoidea
- Benkara malabarica
- Borreria pusilla
- Canthium glabrum
- Canthium rheedei
- Canthium travancoricum
- Catunaregam rugulosa
- Diplospora singularis
- Hedyotis eualata var. agastyamalayana
- Hedyotis hirsutissima
- Hedyotis neesiana
- Hedyotis rajasekaranii
- Hedyotis shettyi
- Ixora johnsonii
- Ixora lanceolaria
- Ixora lawsonii
- Ixora monticola
- Ixora saulierei
- Ixora sivarajiana
- Knoxia wightiana
- Lasianthus capitulatus
- Lasianthus dichotomus
- Mussaenda tomentosa
- Mycetia acuminata
- Neanotis monosperma var. tirunelvelica
- Ochreinauclea missionis
- Octotropis travancorica
- Oldenlandia stocksii
- Ophiorrhiza brunonis
- Ophiorrhiza grandiflora
- Ophiorrhiza nairii
- Ophiorrhiza radicans
- Pavetta brunonis
- Pavetta crassicaulis
- Pavetta hispidula
- Pavetta zeylanica
- Psychotria adenophylla
- Psychotria anamallayana
- Psychotria elongata
- Psychotria nigra
- Psychotria nilgiriensis
- Psychotria octosulcata
- Psydrax ficiformis
- Randia brandisii
- Randia candolleana
- Randia rugulosa
- Saprosma ceylanicum
- Tarenna nilagirica
- Uncaria sessilifructus
- Wendlandia tinctoria subsp. tinctoria
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