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Psychotria tenuifolia Sw.
Shortleaf Wild Coffee
Velvet-leafed Wild Coffee
Synonym(s): Psychotria sulzneri Small
Florida native
A frequent small shrub of hammocks in the central and south peninsula. The range includes Mexico, Central America, Ecuador, Columbia and the Caribbean.
Psychotria tenuifolia typically grows to about 2m (~6 ft.) tall with pubescent stems and opposite leaves. Leaves are usually larger than 10cm long and 3cm wide, strongly veined with entire margins. The upper surface is a dull bluish-green and the underside of the leaves are densely and finely pilose. Both the corollas and calyxes of the small greenish-white flowers can have four or five lobes. The fruit is an oval drupe that may be red, yellow or orange.
Psychotria tenuifolia is a member of the Rubiaceae - Madder family.
Other species of the Psychotria genus in the Wild Florida Photo database:
Psychotria ligustrifolia - BAHAMA WILD COFFEE
Psychotria nervosa - WILD COFFEE
Atlas of Florida Vascular Plants (Institute for Systemic Botany) profile for this species
iNaturalist profile for this species
USDA Plant Profile for this species
Date record last modified: Mar 27, 2026
