Rubiaceae
Sorting coffee in Madagascar
The Rubiaceae (coffee family) is the largest and most poorly known woody plant family in the wet tropics. It contains approximately 13,200 species in 620 genera, of which 26 genera have more than 100 species. Psychotria has more than 2,000 species, which is larger than most plant families. Recent inventory studies and rapid biodiversity assessments undertaken in the Old World Tropics, show that 10 to 20% of the total species diversity in some areas is from the Rubiaceae. Not only is the family significant in terms of biodiversity, but it also constitutes a large percentage of total biomass in tropical ecosystems. There are numerous hotspots of Rubiaceae diversity in the wet regions of the Old and New World Tropics (e.g. East and West Africa, Madagascar, SE Asia, Brazil, Costa Rica, Cuba, Peru and Ecuador), and also in the drylands of Madagascar, Angola, and Central America.
The need for further research on the Rubiaceae is substantial. For some regions the extent of ignorance is alarming and there is a clear lack of fundamental data, particularly in the Old World Tropics (mainly Madagascar and SE Asia). The current classification of the family is unstable, although great progress is being made with molecular systematics. There are numerous unresolved generic complexes (including the subfamilies, tribes, and subtribes), many undescribed genera, and several hundred undescribed species. There are more than 200 species without scientific names in Madagascar alone. The need for basic taxonomic knowledge is heightened by habitat destruction in the tropics.