''Argocoffeopsis lemblinii'' is an extinct relative of the

coffee Coffee is a beverage brewed from roasted, ground coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content, but decaffeinated coffee is also commercially a ...

plant, within the family

Rubiaceae Rubiaceae () is a family (biology), family of flowering plants, commonly known as the coffee, madder, or bedstraw family. It consists of terrestrial trees, shrubs, lianas, or herbs that are recognizable by simple, opposite leaves with Petiole ( ...

. It is only known from the

holotype A holotype (Latin: ''holotypus'') is a single physical example (or illustration) of an organism used when the species (or lower-ranked taxon) was formally described. It is either the single such physical example (or illustration) or one of s ...

collected by French botanist

Auguste Jean Baptiste Chevalier Auguste Jean Baptiste Chevalier (June 1873, in Domfront, Orne, Domfront – June 1956, in Paris) was a French botanist, taxonomist, and explorer of tropical Africa, especially of French colonial empire in Africa that included Côte d'Ivoire. He a ...

in January 1907 in the valley of the Agnéby river in

Côte d'Ivoire Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire and officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital city of Yamoussoukro is located in the centre of the country, while its largest city and ...

, and was not found during subsequent surveys. ''Argocoffeopsis lemblinii'' was a much branched shrub which could reach a height of about 50 centimetres. The flowers were white, the small fruits spheroid. It grew in a forest habitat.

References

* J. Hutchinson & J.M. Dalziel: ''Flora of West Tropical Africa: Vol. 2 Ericaceae-Labiatae''. Crown Agents, 1963 * Ronald William John Keay: ''Notes on Rubiaceae for the "Flora of West Tropical Africa": II''. In: ''Bulletin du Jardin botanique de l'État à Bruxelles'', Vol. 28, Fasc. 3 (Sep. 30, 1958), p. 291-298 * Auguste Chevalier (1947) Les caféiers du globe. III. Systématiques des caféiers et faux caféiers. Maladies et insectes nuisible. Vol. 28, Fascicule III. Encyclopédie biologique, Paris: P Lechevalier. * Jean-François Leroy: Un faux Caféier à rechercher en Côte d'Ivoire : l'Argocoffea lemblini (A. Chev.) J. Agric. Trop. Bot. Appl. 10 : 259–261.

External links

World Checklist of Rubiaceae

Image of the holotype at Aluka
* Coffeeae Flora of Ivory Coast Extinct plants Extinct biota of Africa Plant extinctions since 1500 Taxa named by Auguste Chevalier {{Ixoroideae-stub