Mazaea phialanthoides is a species of flowering plant in the family Rubiaceae. It is a shrub with white flowers, that produces capsule fruits. The species is endemic to Cuba, and was described in 1866.
Taxonomy The species was first described by August Grisebach in 1866, as Rondeletia phialanthoides. In 1897, Karl Wilhelm Leopold Krug and Ignatz Urban moved the species from Rondeletia to Mazaea.
Distribution Mazaea phialanthoides is native to the wet tropical biome of western Cuba. It grows in serpentine barrens, at elevations of .
Description Mazaea phialanthoides is a multi-stemmed shrub that grows high. The bark is smooth and light grey. The wood is white. The young branches are thick.
The leaves are long, and wide. The leaves are narrowly oblong or obovate, dark green on the upper side, and pale green underneath. The leaf stems are long.
The inflorescences have one or two flowers, which have long stems. The calyx has four lobes. The larger lobes are long, and the smaller lobes are long. The corolla is a white funnel, that is long. The male flowers have four or five stamens.
The fruits are greyish or dark brown, narrowly oblong capsules, with multiple ribs. The capsules are long, and wide. The capsule is divided into locules, each of which has two to seven seeds. The seeds are shield-like, long, wide, and have three ribs.
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