Psychotria hombroniana

Photos above taken in Kepar, Kitti, Pohnpei by Dalihlu Waltu.
Date collected: October 28, 2000

Photo of Kempenial in Pohnpei traditional plant garden, Kolonia, 29 May 2007. The color difference may be a result of the growing locations. In the Kepar images the plant is growing on a shady forest floor, in the Kolonia images the plant is growing in sunlight.

1. Genus species: Psychotria hombroniana var. squarrosa
2. Family name: Rubiaceae
3. English name: none
4. Chuukese name: Chimei¹
5. Kosraen name: None [possibly lost]
6. Pohnpeian name: (Kitti) Koampoanial (Northern) kempeniel
7. Yapese name: none
8. Growth form: Shrub
9. Growth location: lowland forest and upland forest: terrestrial
10. Growth environment: areas surrounded by plants but not invasive plants
11. Growth zone: tropical, rainforest
12. Average height: about six feet tall
13. Stem: woody and skinny
14. Leaf arrangement: opposite
15. Stipule: can not be seen by the naked eye
16. Leaf blade: smooth entire; six inches long and four inches wide
17. Petiole: 2-3cm
18. Inflorescence: none
19. Floral bracts: absent
20. Flower: white flowers; approximately around 1-2cm in length and width
21. Calyx: four light green sepals are fused together to make a complete calyx.
22. Stamens: four and they are about 4-5cm long and anthers and probably with polen too.
23. Ovary: the ovary is slightly located above the calyx which makes it superior
24. Style: 1cm long and very skinny. Hard to see it with the naked eyes, it is white or almost colorless.
25. Corolla: made up of four white pedals 1cm in diameter
26. Fruit: yellow round and has a sweet taste
27. Seed: black round and it is located in the fruit; one seed in one fruit
28. Anything else: some kids chew the fruit, swallow it but spit out the black seed
29. Cultural use: when Pohnpeians do the cultural stick dance (dokia) it is preferable because of the nice sound it has.

The plant is connected to kamal in a legend recounted in Tuhke en Pohnpei.

The flowers are used in Chuuk in "magical eye medicine" ¹

Kingdom: Plantae – Plants
Subkingdom: Tracheobionta – Vascular plants
Superdivision: Spermatophyta – Seed plants
Division: Magnoliophyta – Flowering plants
Class: Magnoliopsida – Dicotyledons
Subclass: Asteridae –
Order: Rubiales –
Family: Rubiaceae – Madder family
Genus: Psychotria L. – wild coffee
Species: Psychotria hombroniana (Baill.) Fosberg –

¹ Irá me Neeniier nón Chuuk

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