Specimen
Habitat
MP-0009 / 0024 â Rubiaceae
Psychotria serpens L.
Shiratama-kazura (JP)
A creeping liana that clings to rock and bark, then reaches outward as it matures.
Distribution
Southern Japan (southern Honshu to the Ryukyus), Korea (Jeju), Taiwan, China and mainland Southeast Asia to the Philippines.
Habitat
Shaded forest, on tree trunks and rock faces; also on old walls in humid climates.
Morphology
A woody, evergreen liana that climbs by adventitious aerial roots. Juvenile stems adhere closely to the substrate and carry small, rounded, opposite leaves; adult stems extend away from the support with larger, elliptic leaves. The fruit is a small white, globose drupe.
Botanical notes
The change from adhering juvenile shoots to free-reaching adult shoots (heteroblasty) is conspicuous in this species. The white fruit gives the plant its Japanese name (shiratama = white bead).
References
Taxonomy and distribution follow Plants of the World Online (Kew), YList (Yonekura & Kajita) and regional floras; CITES Species+ for trade status. Descriptions are provisional and are revised as specimens are verified.