genus descriptions: SSTAs

Heritiera

Aiton
Description:
Evergreen, dioecious trees; branchlets lepidote, but soon glabrescent. Leaves simple, very coriaceous, elliptic to ovate, or elliptic-oblong, margin entire or undulate; stipules present. Flowers unisexual, in axillary, many-flowered panicles; bracts and bracteoles present. Calyx campanulate, 5-lobed. Petals absent. Male flowers: androphore with 5 anthers at its apex and with a vestigial style protruding through it. Female flowers: perianth as in male; ovary of 5 connate carpels; styles connate, short; stigmas 5, thick. Fruitingcarpels woody, indehiscent, keeled along back, 1-seeded. Seed without endosperm; cotyledons very thick.
Distribution:
Species 30, trop. Africa, Indomalesia to Australia and New Caledonia; sthn trop. Afr. 1: Heritiera littoralis Aiton, coastal Mozambique.
Source:
SSTA

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

Thouars
Description:
Woody climbers, younger stems usually greyish-pubescent, older ones glabrous, densely lenticellate. Leaves opposite, ovate or broadly elliptic, entire, with two glands near apex of petiole; stipules very small. Inflorescence racemose, terminal; many-flowered; pedicels articulated, 2-bracteolate. Flowers regular, bisexual. Sepals oblong, sericeous outside, persistent. Petals oblong, shortly unguiculate, carinate, entire, bright yellow. Stamens with glabrous basifixed anthers; filaments of outer whorl longer and broader at base. Ovary globose; only 1 (very seldom 2) styles fully developed, terete. Fruit subligneous; lateral wing divided into 6 oblanceolate-linear, usually denticulate lobes, dorsal crest with a spine 8-10 mm long. Seeds subglobose, with a short acumen formed by the radicle.
Distribution:
Species 22, mainly in Madagascar, but with 1 species known from SE Asia and 1 from the African continent: Tristellateia africana S.Moore; in sthn trop. Afr. only in Mozambique.
Source:
SSTA

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

Oliv.
Description:
Shrubs or small trees. Leaves 3- or 5-nerved at base, oblanceolate to obovate or elliptic, acuminate, denticulate, stellate-tomentose, especially along nerves; stipules lanceolate-linear, caducous. Inflorescences: lateral or terminal umbellate cymes. Flowers bisexual, regular. Sepals 4, free, +/- apiculate. Petals 4, shorter than sepals, without glands at base, glabrous. Stamens many, all fertile, arranged in 4 groups opposite petals and fused at base; anthers oblong-linear, basifixed, dehiscing longitudinally. Ovary +/- 6-celled; ovules many, +/- parietal, anatropous; style filiform; stigma obtuse. Fruit capsular, 3-valvate, dehiscent, globular to ellipsoid, coriaceous, densely covered with prickles +/- half as long as fruit body. Seeds many, with endosperm.
Distribution:
Species 4, trop. Africa; sthn trop. Afr. 1: Ancistrocarpus densispinosus Oliv. Angola (Cabinda).
Source:
SSTA

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

Roxb.
Description:
Small trees; dioecious or more rarely monoecious; branchlets sparsely stellately hairy, soon glabrous. Leaves simple, oblong or ovate, with margins entire or repand, petiolate; stipulate. Inflorescence of axillary pedunculate cymes. Flowers unisexual; pedicels stellate-pubescent; bracts stellate-pilose, caducous. Calyx campanulate, 2- or 3-lobed. Petals 5, narrowed to base, white, glandless. Androgynophore obsolete. Stamens many, united at base. Ovary 2-locular, 2-lobed, sessile, with 1(2) pendulous ovules per locule; style obsolete or very short; stigma large and spreading, 2-lobed. Fruit a 2-valved capsule, usually with 1 seed; each valve prolonged by 2 unequal, horizontally spreading, foliaceous wings in a vertical plane. Seed large, villous or hairy, at least at apex; testa coriaceous; endosperm fleshy.
Distribution:
Species ?8, ?6 in tropical America, 2 in trop. Africa; sthn trop. Afr. 1: Berrya africana (Mast.) Kosterm., Mozambique. Verdcourt (2001: 5) notes:
Source:
SSTA
Synonym(s):
Carpodiptera Griseb. (see note below); Wild: 33 (1963); Wild & Goncalves: 2 (1969); Verdcourt: 5 (2001); Coates Palgrave: 682 (2002).

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

L.
Description:
Trees. Leaves digitately (3)5-7(-9)-foliolate; leaflets entire, central one larger than outer ones. Flowers moderately large, solitary or cymose in leaf axils; pedicels with 3 soon deciduous bracteoles. Calyx closed in bud, truncate or subtruncate. Petals 5, tomentellose outside. Stamens many, united in a tube below adnate to petals at base, either in 2 whorls with outer whorl of 5 epipetalous bundles and the inner whorl of 5 alternipetalous pairs, or in 5 epipetalous bundles; anthers oblong or reniform. Ovary 5-locular; ovules many; stigma 4- or 5-lobed or entire. Fruit a loculicidally dehiscent 5-valved woody capsule with a persistent axis. Seeds many, irregularly globose or angular, covered in woolly endocarp indumentum; endosperm absent; cotyledons plicate.
Distribution:
Species +/- 20, Old World tropics; sthn trop. Afr. 5: 4 occur naturally in Angola, Malawi and Mozambique, and 1: *Bombax oleagineum (Decne.) A.Robyns is widely cultivated, and may occur as an escape.
Source:
SSTA
Synonym(s):
Rhodognaphalon (Ulbr.) Roberty emend. A.Robyns; Wild & Goncalves: 4 (1979a); Izidine & Bandeira: 49 (2002).

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

Loefl.
Description:
Climbing shrubs or lianes; young branches puberulous. Leaves alternate, simple, petiolate, cordate-ovate, acute, denticulate, palmately 5-7-nerved; petioles shorter than blades; stipules subulate, soon caducous. Inflorescences slender, leaf-opposed cymes, sometimes with additional smaller subaxillary cymes; bracteoles linear, small. Flowers small, pedicellate; buds conical. Sepals 5, lanceolate, finely tomentellose. Petals 5, cucullate and adhering to each other at level of anthers, with a long narrow basal claw and a long, subapical linear appendage. Staminal tube widening towards mouth; anthers 5, subglobose, subsessile, arising at top of tube, 2-thecous, alternating with 5 very short staminodes. Ovary 5-locular, sessile or subsessile, muricate-hispid when young, becoming long-hispid; ovules 2 per locule; style short; stigma 5-lobed. Capsule globose, septicidally dehiscent into 5 1-seeded mericarps with long-spiny backs. Seeds ovoid, smooth, brownish red, sometimes maculate.
Distribution:
Species 130, pantropical; sthn trop. Afr. 1: Byttneria catalpifolia Jacq. subsp. africana (Mast.) Exell & Mendonca, Angola.
Source:
SSTA

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

Mill.
Description:
Tall trees, with horizontally branched crown and a very straight trunk; bark pale grey, smooth, usually with scattered conical spines. Leaves digitately 5-9(usually 7 or very rarely more than 9)-foliolate; lamina of leaflets entire, articulated to a +/- suborbicular disc at apex of a long, glabrous petiole. Flowers moderately large, axillary or subterminal, solitary in axils or often 1-3-fasciculate. Calyx cupular, 5-lobed. Petals 5, imbricate, rose-coloured or white. Stamens (10)15, united in 5 phalanges, each bearing 2 or 3 coiled anther-thecae and united below in a tube. Ovary 5-locular, each locule with many ovules; stigma club-shaped, pentagonal. Capsule a woody or coriaceous 5-valved capsule. Seeds many, surrounded by endocarp wool; endosperm thin or absent; cotyledons much contorted.
Distribution:
Species 10: 9 confined to tropical and subtropical America; Ceiba pentandra (L.) Gaertn., the Silk Cotton or Kapok Tree, is native in tropical America and probably in trop. Africa. Most specimens in sthn trop. Afr. are cultivated but the species has been recorded as spontaneous at times in various parts of trop. Africa, including Angola, Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique.
Source:
SSTA

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

DC.
Description:
Small to tall trees, often dioecious by abortion; young parts, including outside of calyx and carpels, with dense, yellowish stellate hairs. Leaves palmatinerved, ovate, acuminate with cordate base; stipules linear. Inflorescences terminal and axillary corymbiform cymes. Flowers usually unisexual by abortion. Calyx campanulate, irregularly 3-5-fid. Petals 5(6 or 7). Stamens many, all fertile in male flowers, sterile in female flowers, free, not arising on a raised torus; filaments filiform; anthers subglobose. Ovary of (1)2-5(6), free, 1-locular, 2-valved carpels; ovules 1 per carpel, ascending. Fruit apocarpous into follicles opening by 2 valves; endocarp light brown, shiny, crustaceous. Seeds 1 per follicle, large, variegated, at first with hairs along raphe.
Distribution:
Species 2, S America and trop. Africa; sthn trop. Afr. 1: Christiana africana DC., Angola.
Source:
SSTA

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

Kunth
Description:
Shrubs or lianes. Leaves opposite, simple, petiolate, entire, base of lamina and/or petiole usually glandular; stipules indistinct. Inflorescences axillary or terminal, generally paniculate; bracts and bracteoles persistent. Sepals 5, each with 2 dorsal glands, or 1 without glands. Petals 5, unguiculate, usually entire and glabrous. Stamens 10, all fertile, glabrous; filaments fused at base; anthers basifixed. Ovary 3-locular; styles free; laterally compressed; stigmas terminal, in lateral, inside position. Fruit consisting of (1-)3 samaroid mericarps, each with a dorsal suborbicular wing.
Distribution:
Monotypic genus: Heteropterys leona (Cav.) Exell, W Africa; sthn trop. Afr.: Angola.
Source:
SSTA

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

Forssk.
Description:
Woody climbers; younger stems densely covered with short soft white sericeous hairs, older ones very finely pubescent or glabrescent. Leaves spirally arranged or opposite, ovate-cordate, pubescent or glabrescent above, grey-tomentose beneath and with 2 large glands near base (usually concealed by indumentum); petiole densely sericeous, usually with 2 small glands above middle; stipules very small, deciduous. Inflorescences racemose or corymbose-paniculate, axillary or terminal. Flowers regular, bisexual, evil-smelling; bracts ovate; bracteoles lanceolate or linear-subulate. Sepals broadly ovate with a narrowed base, sericeous outside; without glands. Petals shortly unguiculate, carinate, subhastate at base, glabrous, margins wholly or partially fimbriate. Stamens glabrous, with dorsifixed, subversatile, oblong anthers; filaments somewhat fleshy. Ovary densely sericeous; styles fairly stout, truncate, shorter than, as long as or slightly exceeding stamens. Fruit with lateral wing completely surrounding nut, oblong-elliptic, entire; dorsal wing absent.
Distribution:
Species 3, E and NE Africa to Arabian Peninsula; sthn trop. Afr. 1: Caucanthusauriculatus (Radlk.) Niedenzu, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Mozambique.
Source:
SSTA

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

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