''Argocoffeopsis lemblinii'' is an extinct relative of the
coffee plant, within the family
Rubiaceae. It is only known from the
holotype collected by French botanist
Auguste Jean Baptiste Chevalier in January 1907 in the valley of the
Agnéby river
The Agneby River, also known as the Agbo River, is a river in Ivory Coast in West Africa. The river originates from springs near Agoua in the region of Bongouanou, flows southwards and empties into the Ébrié Lagoon in the south of the country. T ...
in
Côte d'Ivoire
Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire, officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital is Yamoussoukro, in the centre of the country, while its largest city and economic centre is ...
, 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 RubiaceaeImage 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