Editing Rubiaceae (section)

==Uses==

===Food===
No staple foods are found in the Rubiaceae, but some species are consumed locally and fruits may be used as [[famine food]]. Examples are African medlar fruits (e.g. ''[[Vangueria infausta|V. infausta]]'', ''[[Vangueria madagascariensis|V. madagascariensis]]''), African peach (''[[Nauclea latifolia]]''), and noni (''[[Morinda citrifolia]]'').

===Beverage===
The most economically important member of the family is the genus ''[[Coffea]]'' used in the production of [[coffee]]. ''[[Coffea]]'' includes 124 species, but only three species are cultivated for coffee production: ''[[Coffea arabica|C. arabica]]'', ''[[Coffea canephora|C. canephora]]'', and ''[[Coffea liberica|C. liberica]]''.<ref name ="Davis2009"/>

===Medicinal===
The bark of trees in the genus ''[[Cinchona]]'' is the source of a variety of [[alkaloid]]s, the most familiar of which is [[quinine]], one of the first agents effective in treating [[malaria]]. Woodruff (''[[Galium odoratum]]'') is a small herbaceous perennial that contains [[coumarin]], a natural precursor of [[warfarin]], and the South American plant ''[[Carapichea ipecacuanha]]'' is the source of the [[emetic]] [[Syrup of ipecac|ipecac]]. ''[[Psychotria viridis]]'' is frequently used as a source of [[dimethyltryptamine]] in the preparation of [[ayahuasca]], a psychoactive decoction.<ref name="Riba2003"/> The bark of the species ''[[Breonadia]] salicina'' have been used in traditional African medicine for many years.<ref name=Neuwinger94>{{cite book|last1=Neuwinger|first1=Hans Dieter|title=African Ethnobotany: Poisons and Drugs: Chemistry, Pharmacology, Toxicology|date=1994|publisher=Chapman & Hall|location=Stuttgart, Germany}}</ref> The leaves of the Kratom plant (''[[Mitragyna speciosa]]'') contain a variety of alkaloids, including several psychoactive alkaloids and is traditionally prepared and consumed in Southeast Asia, where it has been known to exhibit both painkilling and [[stimulant]] qualities, behaving as a [[μ-opioid receptor]] [[agonist]], and often being used in traditional Thai medicine in a similar way to and often as a replacement for [[opioid]] painkillers like [[morphine]].

===Ornamentals===
Originally from China, the common gardenia (''[[Gardenia jasminoides]]'') is a widely grown garden plant and flower in frost-free climates worldwide. Several other species from the genus are also seen in horticulture. The genus ''[[Ixora]]'' contains plants cultivated in warmer-climate gardens; the most commonly grown species, ''[[Ixora coccinea]]'', is frequently used for pretty red-flowering hedges. ''[[Mussaenda]]'' cultivars with enlarged, colored calyx lobes are shrubs with the aspect of ''[[Hydrangea]]''; they are mainly cultivated in tropical Asia. The New Zealand native ''[[Coprosma repens]]'' is a commonly used plant for [[hedge]]s. The South African ''[[Rothmannia globosa]]'' is seen as a specimen tree in horticulture. ''[[Nertera granadensis]]'' is a well-known house plant cultivated for its conspicuous orange berries. Other ornamental plants include ''[[Mitchella]]'', ''[[Morinda]]'', ''[[Pentas]]'', and ''[[Rubia]]''.

===Dyes===
[[Rose madder]], the crushed root of ''[[Rubia tinctorum]]'', yields a red dye, and the tropical ''[[Morinda citrifolia]]'' yields a yellow dye.