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Notes
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This species is characterized by its generally robust habit; its brown drying color; its relatively large, obovate to elliptic leaves with numerous secondary veins and without domatia; its well developed broadly ovate to broadly triangular stipules; its subsessile to shortly pedunculate, corymbiform-cymose, branched inflorescences with the bracts reduced; its pedicellate robust flowers with the calyx limb 3-5 mm long and a yellow corolla; and its large subglobose to ovoide fruits 15-20 mm in diameter. The pedicels apparently elongated markedly as the fruits mature. The fruits are apparently green when mature; other species of Psychotria with similarly large fruits also apparently have the fruits green when mature and eaten by lemurs. Psychotria megalocarpa is similar in its large leaves and fruits to Psychotria nossibensis of northwestern Madagascar, but Psychotria nossibensis has generally shorter more congested inflorescences and leaves with a well developed submarginal vein vs. the submarginal vein usually weak or not visible in Psychotria megalocarpa. Psychotria megalocarpa is sometimes confused also with Psychotria humblotii, which has similar large fruits and inflorescences, but Psychotria humblotii has smaller oblanceolate leaves that dry with a green color and is found mainly on sandy substrates and/or in littoral forests. Psychotria megalocarpa is the most commonly collected of the Psychotria species with these large fruits.
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