The World Flora Online

Arbuste de 2-8 m à petit arbre de 9-17 m de haut; fût atteignant 7 m de haut et 70 cm de diam.; cime globuleuse; écorce gerçurée, grisâtre, à tranche rougeâtre; jeunes rameaux tomenteux. Feuilles à pétiole de 3-5 mm de long; limbe de forme excessivement variable, ± longuement elliptique à obovale, aigu à arrondi à la base et au sommet, pubescent à glabre à la face supérieure, pubescent à tomenteux ou glabre à la face inférieure, un peu plus d'une fois à plus de trois fois aussi long que large, de 6-13 × 3-9 cm; nervures secondaires 2(3) paires, très fortement ascendantes et subparallèles au bord du limbe. Inflorescences tomenteuses à poils crépus, constituées d'épis de 4-15 cm de long, dont 1-2 cm pour le pédoncule, généralement réunis en panicules axillaires ± feuillées; bractées linéaires, de 2 mm de long, très caduques. Fleurs 4-5-mères, sessiles; calice à tube de 2-2,5 mm de haut et de large, pubescent à tomenteux, et à lobes triangulaires, extérieurement pubescents, intérieurement glabres, courtement ciliés sur les bords, de 1-1,5(2) × 1,5-2 mm; pétales de forme excessivement variable, elliptiques à obovales ou ± obtriangulaires, parfois bifurqués vers le milieu, divisé 1 ou 2 fois en languettes dans la ½ supérieure, de 2-2,5 mm de long et 0,5-1 mm de large; étamines à filet de 1 mm de long; anthères subglobuleuses, de 0,3-0,4 mm de diam.; styles ± soudés par leur base renflée, libres dans leur partie supérieure cylindrique et ± courbée vers l'extérieur au sommet; disque bien développé; 1 ovule pendant par loge. Drupes ellipsoïdales, atteignant 35 × 25 mm, glabres à l'état mûr, bleues, à 4-5 côtes ± visibles; mésocarpe charnu et comestible. Graines longuement ovoïdes, de 15 × 6 mm.

Savanes de types divers, galeries forestières, muhulu, forêts claires.

Tanzanie, Angola, Zambie, Malawi.

Calyx-lobes 2 mm. long, triangular to deltate, pale green (tinged purplish-pink externally), densely tomentose outside and glabrous inside, their margins ciliolate. Flowers 4–5-merous, bisexual, densely tomentose; bracts ± 2 mm. long, subterete. Spikes 3–10(15) cm. long, stout, usually composite, often many-branched, yellowish-brown, densely tomentose (hairs strong or flexuous, meso-pachydermatose), ± remotely flowered, upright, usually in the axils of smaller (up to 3 cm. long), obovate and deciduous leaves (false bracts) at the base of the current year’s growth. Drupe 3·5 x 2 cm., ellipsoid, plum-coloured, edible. Main leaf-lamina usually 5–10x2–5·5 cm. long, ovate, narrowly to broadly elliptic, lanceolate, obovate or, rarely, subcircular, narrowed to an acute or obtuse apex (sometimes rounded or, rarely, retuse or emarginate) and cuneate to obtuse, symmetric or slightly asymmetric at the base, ± leathery; superior surface ± glossy (purplish-pink or pale green to yellowish and ± densely tomentose when young, dark green to brownish-green or yellowish and pubescent to glabrescent, with short scattered hairs, with age); inferior surface mat (yellowish-green or brownish-yellow and densely tomentose when young, yellowish-green to brownish and densely to sparsely tomentose, with rather short, meso- or pachydermatose hairs, with age); midrib prominent, yellow, with long dense bristles below; petiole 2–5 mm. long, densely ferrugineous-hairy. Stigmas spherical with spherical papillae. Evergreen shrub or tree up to 10 m. high with dense and close ramification; bark smooth to rough, brown to grey; young branchlets crimson, later yellowish-brown, ± densely tomentose (hairs long, mesodermatose, slightly twisted, reddish-brown to yellowish-brown or grey). Stamens with filaments 2 mm. long, subulate, incurved; anthers 0·3 mm. long, broadly ovoid. Petals 3 mm. long, 3-lobed (central lobe slender and undivided, lateral lobes broader and 2–3-laciniate), white, glabrous, papillose. Styles 4–5, 1·5 mm. long, pyriform with leptodermatose hairs (sometimes with the apex inflated and apiculate at the extremity) towards the base, divergent, bent outwards. Ovary 1·5 mm. long, campanulate, 4–5-locular. Flowers 4–5-merous, bisexual, densely tomentose; bracts ± 2 mm. long, subterete. Spikes 3–10(15) cm. long, stout, usually composite, often many-branched, yellowish-brown, densely tomentose (hairs strong or flexuous, meso-pachydermatose), ± remotely flowered, upright, usually in the axils of smaller (up to 3 cm. long), obovate and deciduous leaves (false bracts) at the base of the current year’s growth. Drupe 3·5 x 2 cm., ellipsoid, plum-coloured, edible. Main leaf-lamina usually 5–10x2–5·5 cm. long, ovate, narrowly to broadly elliptic, lanceolate, obovate or, rarely, subcircular, narrowed to an acute or obtuse apex (sometimes rounded or, rarely, retuse or emarginate) and cuneate to obtuse, symmetric or slightly asymmetric at the base, ± leathery; superior surface ± glossy (purplish-pink or pale green to yellowish and ± densely tomentose when young, dark green to brownish-green or yellowish and pubescent to glabrescent, with short scattered hairs, with age); inferior surface mat (yellowish-green or brownish-yellow and densely tomentose when young, yellowish-green to brownish and densely to sparsely tomentose, with rather short, meso- or pachydermatose hairs, with age); midrib prominent, yellow, with long dense bristles below; petiole 2–5 mm. long, densely ferrugineous-hairy. Stigmas spherical with spherical papillae. Evergreen shrub or tree up to 10 m. high with dense and close ramification; bark smooth to rough, brown to grey; young branchlets crimson, later yellowish-brown, ± densely tomentose (hairs long, mesodermatose, slightly twisted, reddish-brown to yellowish-brown or grey). Stamens with filaments 2 mm. long, subulate, incurved; anthers 0·3 mm. long, broadly ovoid. Petals 3 mm. long, 3-lobed (central lobe slender and undivided, lateral lobes broader and 2–3-laciniate), white, glabrous, papillose. Styles 4–5, 1·5 mm. long, pyriform with leptodermatose hairs (sometimes with the apex inflated and apiculate at the extremity) towards the base, divergent, bent outwards. Ovary 1·5 mm. long, campanulate, 4–5-locular.

Tree up to 10 m. tall (in our area) or large shrub. Young parts densely crimson- or yellow-brown tomentose, glabrescent, not glabrate; hairs long, stout, ± thick-walled and slightly twisted. Leaf blades on upper parts of branches narrowly to broadly elliptic, rarely rotund, 6–11 cm. × 1–7 cm., leathery, narrowed or subrounded to a cuneate or acute base, narrowed or rounded to an obtuse apex, longly ± densely tomentose on both surfaces especially towards base. Spikes 4–9 cm. long, in axils of smaller leaves (bracts) on lower parts of branches; bracts obovate, 1–3 cm. long, very deciduous; bracts on the rhachis inconspicuous, subterete, 2 mm. long. Petals 3-lobed, lateral lobes bipartite. Styles ± free, narrowly pyriform, divergent. Fruits not seen. Fig. 5. Young parts densely crimson- or yellow-brown tomentose, glabrescent, not glabrate; hairs long, stout, ± thick-walled and slightly twisted. Leaf blades on upper parts of branches narrowly to broadly elliptic, rarely rotund, 6–11 cm. × 1–7 cm., leathery, narrowed or subrounded to a cuneate or acute base, narrowed or rounded to an obtuse apex, longly ± densely tomentose on both surfaces especially towards base. Spikes 4–9 cm. long, in axils of smaller leaves (bracts) on lower parts of branches; bracts obovate, 1–3 cm. long, very deciduous; bracts on the rhachis inconspicuous, subterete, 2 mm. long. Petals 3-lobed, lateral lobes bipartite. Styles ± free, narrowly pyriform, divergent. Fruits not seen. Fig. 5.