genus descriptions: SSTAs

Scaphopetalum

Mast.
Description:
Shrubs; young branches puberulous, later glabrous. Leaves alternate, simple, shortly petiolate, entire, elliptic, penninerved with one basal pair of nerves; stipules triangular to ensiform, subpersistent. Inflorescences few- to many-flowered axillary or sometimes cauline fascicles surrounded at base by pointed bracts; pedicels slender, articulated at base of flower; pointed bracteoles present on pedicel; bud spherical. Calyx coriaceous with sepals +/- completely fused, bursting irregularly into 2 or 3 valves. Petals 5, concave, hooded, striate outside with 7 longitudinal nerves. Staminal tube membranous, bell-shaped, 5-angular, +/- clearly divided at apex into 10 segments, 5 of which are sterile, reflexed and rounded, alternating with 5 fertile lobes opposite petals and each bearing 3 sessile, 2-thecate anthers. Ovary subcylindric, obscurely 5-lobed, 5-locular, pubescent; ovules in 1 or 2 rows on central placenta; style simple; stigma minute. Fruit an elliptic to subconical loculicidal capsule crowned by persistent calyx and opening by 5 undulate valves. Seeds +/- 2-4 per carpel, +/- ovoid, pubescent, partly covered by an irregularly dentate aril.
Distribution:
Species 15, trop. Africa; sthn trop.Afr. 1: Scaphopetalum dewevrei De Wild., Angola (Cabinda).
Source:
SSTA

Mon, 2009-03-23 13:08 -- Emily Smith
Triplochiton

K.Schum.
Description:
Large trees with a straight bole and light grey smooth flaking bark. Leaves palmately 5-9-lobed, cordate; lobes ovate to oblong; petiolate; stipules present. Flowers bisexual, in reduced axillary cymes or many-flowered panicles; bracts present and also 3 bracteoles forming a deciduous involucre beneath calyx. Calyx campanulate with 5 valvate lobes. Petals 5, with contorted aestivation, tomentose, with a basal claw. Androgynophore conspicuous. Stamens many; staminodes 5, ovate, with a contorted aestivation. Ovary of 5 coherent carpels and with 5 coherent styles; ovules +/- 12 per carpel, 2-seriate. Fruit of 5 samara-like, single-seeded carpels each with a unilaterally produced wing.
Distribution:
Species 3, trop. Africa; sthn trop. Afr. 1: Triplochiton zambesiacus Milne-Redh., Zambia, Zimbabwe.
Source:
SSTA

Mon, 2009-03-23 13:08 -- Emily Smith
Amphiblemma

Naudin
Description:
Perennial herbs, subshrubs or shrubs of medium height with sympodial growth; floral organs often with glandular hairs. Leaves long-petioled, membranous, longitudinally 3- to 5-nerved, +/- ovate. Inflorescences simple or branched, terminal or axillary scorpioid cymes. Calyx: tube/receptacle turbinate to campanulate, produced beyond ovary; limb 5-toothed, dilated, deciduous. Petals 5, oblong or obovate, pink or white, often conspicuous. Stamens 10, in 2 unequal whorls; longer anthers linear-subulate with elongate, curved connective and an anterior appendage at base and sometimes a spur behind; shorter anthers with connective rarely produced. Ovary 5-locular, 5-angled, with 5 facets that have membranous margins; ovules few to many; style linear, stigma punctiform. Capsule turbinate, 5-locular, 5-valved at top, with an entire to 5-lobed crown. Seeds minute, obovoid; funicle +/- fragile; raphe produced into a broad appendage.
Distribution:
Species 13, tropical W Africa; sthn trop. Afr. 3, Angola.
Source:
SSTA

Mon, 2009-03-23 13:08 -- Emily Smith
Leptonychia

Turcz.
Description:
Evergreen shrubs or trees. Leaves alternate, simple, entire, petiolate, oblong, acuminate, base rounded; small axillary domatia often present on lower surface. Inflorescences axillary or on old wood, cymose; bracts present; pedicels articulate. Flowers bisexual; buds oblong, sometimes constricted in the middle, acute. Sepals 5, +/- free, oblong, acute, usually puberulous with stellate hairs on outer surface. Petals 5, very short, concave, somewhat fleshy, ciliate, cohering at margins. Stamens +/- 25, in 5 fascicles opposite petals; filaments basally fused into a short collar; 1-5 staminodes present in each fascicle; anthers with 2 opposite thecae, oblong, dehiscing laterally. Ovary 3-5-locular with 5-10 ovules per locule in 2 vertical rows on a central placenta; style central, cylindric; stigma minute, 3(5)-toothed. Fruit a subglobose, 3- to 5-locular, loculicidally dehiscent capsule opening with rugose and stellately tomentose valves. Seeds 1 in each locule, large; testa black, covered by a red spongy aril; endosperm horny; embryo straight, cotyledons foliaceous.
Distribution:
Species 30, Old World tropics, mainly Africa; sthn trop. Afr. 6, Angola, Malawi.
Source:
SSTA

Mon, 2009-03-23 13:08 -- Emily Smith
Nesogordonia

Baill.
Description:
Small or large trees, +/- stellate-pubescent, at least on young parts. Leaves petiolate, simple, oblong to oblong-lanceolate or narrowly ovate; stipules caducous, small. Flowers bisexual, solitary or axillary, in pedunculate, few-flowered cymes; pedicels articulated. Sepals 5, valvate. Petals 5, often somewhat twisted. Stamens in an uninterrupted ring or in fascicles of 2-4 opposite sepals; filaments free or +/- united within fascicles; and with an inner ring of 5 free fertile stamens or 5 free staminodes opposite petals. Ovary obconic or subglobose, pubescent or tomentose, 5-locular; locules 2-ovulate; styles 5, free or united into a single style; stigmas fleshy, papillose. Capsule obconic, truncate and excavated at apex, with 5 rather thick wings, dehiscent into 5 valves, with 1 or 2 seeds per locule. Seeds with a unilateral wing.
Distribution:
Species 18, trop. Africa and Madagascar; sthn trop. Afr. ?3: Nesogordonia holtzii (Engl.) Capuron ex L.C.Barnett & Dorr [= N. parvifolia (M.B.Moss ex Milne-Redh.) Capuron ex Wild], Mozambique, and 1 or 2 species in Angola (Cabinda) [Lebrun & Stork: 700 (2003)].
Source:
SSTA
Synonym(s):
Cistanthera K.Schum.; Exell & Mendonca: 210 (1937/1951).

Mon, 2009-03-23 13:08 -- Emily Smith
Pterygota

Schott & Endl.
Description:
Tall trees with straight, smooth trunk; young branches minutely stellate-puberulous. Leaves entire or palmatilobed, 5-9-nerved from base, petiolate. Flowers unisexual, in axillary panicles. Calyx campanulate, 5-lobed. Petals absent. Male flowers: androphore with an apical ring of anthers in one or more rows. Female flowers with a perianth as in male; ovary of 5 sessile or shortly stipitate coherent carpels; styles connate; stigmas 5, recurved; ovules many. Fruit of 1-5 large woody follicles. Seeds many, with a large wing; endosperm present.
Distribution:
Species 15, tropical, especially Old World; sthn trop. Afr. 2, Angola (Cabinda), Zambia.
Source:
SSTA

Mon, 2009-03-23 13:08 -- Emily Smith
Duboscia

Bocq.
Description:
Trees. Leaves obovate-oblong to lanceolate, rounded to +/- cordate and 3-nerved at base, acuminate, denticulate; stipules entire, +/- caducous. Inflorescences axillary cymes; bracts entire. Flowers bisexual, regular, involucrate; with a short glabrous androgynophore. Sepals 4, valvate, oblong. Petals 4, subulate, with a glandular area at base inside. Stamens many, all free and fertile, arising on a thick, fleshy villose disc; anthers subglobose, dorsifixed, dehiscing longitudinally. Ovary 5-10-locular; style shorter than ovary; stigma fimbriate; ovules many, in 2 rows in every locule, anatropous. Fruit drupaceous, indehiscent, fibrous inside. Seeds many, flattened, embedded in fibrous tissue.
Distribution:
Species 3, trop. Africa; sthn trop.Afr. 2, Angola (Cabinda).
Source:
SSTA

Mon, 2009-03-23 13:08 -- Emily Smith
Clappertonia

Meisn.
Description:
Small shrubs with stems and petioles covered with dense rufous-stellate hairs. Leaves broadly ovate to oblong, 3-7-lobed, margins coarsely serrrate; stipules linear-subulate to lanceolate. Inflorescences of small terminal or axillary cymes. Sepals 4 or 5, oblong, with an apical or subapical gland. Petals 4 or 5, clawed, glandless, pink, purplish or white. Stamens many, up to +/- 12 fertile and slightly longer than the rest; staminodes filamentous or lanceolate-linear and sterile, without anther thecae. Ovary sessile, 4-8-locular, with many ovules in each locule; stigma lobed or denticulate at apex. Capsule ellipsoid or oblong-ovoid, loculicidally 4-8-valved; valves transversely septate within, with many stiff pilose bristles outside. Seeds many, discoid or compressed-obovoid.
Distribution:
Species 2, trop. Africa; sthn trop. Afr. 1: Clappertonia ficifolia (Willd.) Decne., Angola, Zambia, Mozambique.
Source:
SSTA
Synonym(s):
Honckenya Willd.; Exell: 47 (1927).

Mon, 2009-03-23 13:08 -- Emily Smith
Desplatsia

Bocq.
Description:
Small trees or shrubs. Leaves ovate-oblong to obovate-oblong, cordate to subcordate and asymmetric at base, long-acuminate, obscurely dentate; domatia often present; stipules palmatifid, +/- persistent. Inflorescences many-flowered, axillary or terminal umbellate cymes; involucral bracts 3- or 4-fid, not enveloping buds. Flowers bisexual. Sepals 5, oblong, hooded. Petals 5, shorter than sepals, with a glandular area at base inside. Stamens many, fused at base into a glabrous or pubescent tube ciliate at top; anthers subglobose, dorsifixed, dehiscing longitudinally. Ovary 5-10-locular, tomentose; style cylindric, glabrous; stigma +/- fringed; ovules many, in 2 rows in each locule, anatropous. Fruit drupaceous, indehiscent, externally coriaceous, inside fibrous. Seeds many, oblong, narrowly winged, embedded in fibrous tissue.
Distribution:
Species 7, tropical W Africa; sthn trop. Afr. 1: Desplatsia subericarpa Bocq., Angola (Cabinda).
Source:
SSTA

Mon, 2009-03-23 13:08 -- Emily Smith
Glyphaea

Hook.f.
Description:
Small trees; young parts stellately tomentellous. Leaves oblong or obovate-oblong, irregularly crenate-dentate, strongly 3-nerved and sometimes asymmetrical at base, stellate-pubescent on both surfaces; petiole slightly widened just below leaf lamina; stipules caducous, very small, subulate. Inflorescence of leaf-opposed or extra-axillary, 1-several-flowered cymes; bracts very small, caducous. Sepals 5, linear-oblong, stellately hairy outside. Petals 5, bright yellow, glandless, linear-oblong. Androgynophore obsolete. Stamens many, all fertile; anther thecae linear, adnate throughout their length, dehiscing by terminal pores and with connective prolonged into a small crest. Ovary sessile, 6-10-locular; locules many-ovuled; style simple; stigma simple, not wider than style. Fruit oblong-cylindric or fusiform, sulcate, indehiscent, with hard fibrous walls; endocarp with pits containing seeds. Seeds discoid, with a fleshy endosperm; cotyledons cordate and roundish.
Distribution:
Species 2, trop. Africa; sthn trop. Afr. 2, Angola, Malawi, Mozambique.
Source:
SSTA

Mon, 2009-03-23 13:08 -- Emily Smith

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